Don't Take the Girl
by prplerayne
Summary: After something bad happens to Lindsay Monroe, she finds her way into the arms of Danny Messer. Can he keep her safe from further harm? DL, FS, MacPeyton.
1. I Loved Her First

I Loved Her First

A/N I don't own CSI: NY or any of the main characters. While this isn't my first fan fic, this is my first CSI: NY fan fic. Be kind and R&R please.

Danny Messer stood in the New York Crime Lab, next to his co-worker, Lindsay "Montana" Monroe. The two had been working together for almost a year and a half, ever since Lindsay transferred out from some small, rural, Midwestern town, called Bozeman, Montana. Lindsay was a polite young woman, she had that mild mannered Midwestern charm, that was typical of that part of the country, but with a tenacity that gave the impression, she belonged in the big city. Danny couldn't help but look at her while they worked together. She was nice to look at. She was also fun to tease. Danny loved to tease her. He especially loved when he made her turn crimson from embarrassment. Often he called her Montana or Monroe. He only ever called her Lindsay, when he was being serious about something, which wasn't very often. He'd started this crap the first day they met, and it irritated her to no end.

Lindsay stood at the table, bits and pieces of evidence in an apparent lover's quarrel turned homicide she and Danny were working together, spread out in front of them. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Danny was casually checking her out, as he usually did. She swore she'd never tell him, but secretly she liked the way Danny looked at her. It was nice to feel attractive to someone, even if she never would act on it. As Danny turned his attention to the golf club that was used as the murder weapon, she looked at him more. Danny Messer was cute, there was no denying that. As much as he irritated the life out of her, she had grown accustomed to his obnoxious ways. She even came to like that he hardly ever called her Lindsay. He always called her Montana, and occasionally, Monroe. While Montana was what he "named " her, for lack of a better term, as a way to make fun of her on a daily basis, it had grown on her and slowly become a term of endearment. As things stood now, she knew when he called her by her given name; he had something serious to say. Not that she minded being called by her name; in fact, she was quite fond of the way her name sounded on his lips in his thick Staten Island accent. It just seemed to her, that it was more appropriate that she was his Montana.

"Ya checking me out Montana?" Danny casually asked, looking over at her, with that annoying, sexy smirk he always wore, to see her staring at him, lost in thought. Hearing his voice, Lindsay snapped back to the present and immediately flushed red with embarrassment as she quickly looked back at the table in front of her. "Oh come on, Monroe. It's only natural that you find me sexually attractive, like every other straight woman in New York." Danny teased, the smile on his face growing as the shade of red on her face deepened. "Danny" Lindsay said, embarrassed that he would ever imply that she thought he was sexy. It didn't matter that she did, but the fact that he would say it, was just so improper. "What, you've never even considered shagging me? Not even a little?" He asked suggestively as the warmth in her cheeks grew in intensity. "Shut up and go back to work" Lindsay muttered, desperately trying to ignore the feelings he was creating within her. "Oh, so you do want me?" Danny continued to tease her with his trademark accent. "I do not!" She protested as she finally made eye contact with him. "Yes you do." Danny playfully argued, getting a huge kick out of making her so flustered with just a few words, and wishing he had a camera to take a picture of the expression on her face. "What in the world makes you think that?" She asked incredulous. "Look at you Montana; you're as red as a lobster!" Danny finally blurted out as laughter took him over. "You're such a jerk" the crimson woman muttered before she turned her attention away from Danny and tried to regain her composure.

In her still flustered state, Lindsay dropped her pen on the floor. Danny who was still watching her and snickering, asked, "Can I get that for ya, little lady?" in his best mock, country accent. "You're such a jerk" she casually tossed over her shoulder along with a teasing smile as she bent over to pick up the pen. When she did, her lab jacket fell to the side and her green shirt rode up a bit, exposing part of her back. "You know you like…" Danny started to flirt back when he saw the deep discoloration on her lower back. "Christ Montana, what the hell happened?" Danny asked concerned at what he saw. Realizing that he saw the bruise, Lindsay quickly stood up and straightened out her clothing. "Oh, that. It's uh…it's nothing. I just fell into a wall last night." She quickly explained, hoping Danny would buy it, despite her lameness. "You fell into a wall?" Danny repeated what she'd just told him, not believing what she said at all. "Yeah, I lost my footing and hit the wall." She repeated, elaborating on her earlier answer. It wasn't actually a lie, she told herself. She actually did fall into a wall, just not the way she was telling him that it happened. Danny nodded his head thoughtfully as he slowly walked behind her and patted her back just under her shoulder blades with his hand. At the firm touch, Lindsay yelped in pain and wheeled around to face him. "Hey! Be careful, that hurts!" she chastised him. Just as she said that, she became aware that it had clicked in his head that the bruise went farther up her back than he saw. Danny turned her back around and gingerly lifted up a corner of her shirt just enough to see that the bruise covered most of what he could see of her back. Lindsay fidgeted uncomfortably at his attentions. She knew the interrogation was about to begin. "Fell into a wall, huh? Care to change your story Lindsay?" Danny said thoughtfully as he turned her to face him.

When she came face to face with the young detective, Lindsay knew the gig was up. She had to come up with something to tell him that he would believe, but what? Suddenly, it hit her that he had called her Lindsay. _"Uh oh. This isn't good."_ She thought as she stammered to get out an explanation for why she had lied to him. Danny stared intently, his hand never leaving Lindsay's shoulder as she stuttered, her beautiful hazel eyes clouded over in sheer terror. Her skin became pale as her jaw dropped and she stared at him the ability to talk having left her entirely. Feeling her body begin to shake, Danny knew instinctively that she was remembering what had really happened to her last night, as well as trying to find a way to avoid telling him. Whatever had happened to her, it was apparent that someone had gotten violent with _his_ Montana. Suddenly, it hit Danny like a ton of bricks that he knew who had inflicted such trauma on this innocent woman. "Lindsay? Did Kevin hit you last night?" Danny asked, trying to use his ability to sound like he had control of the situation to calm her down. In response, Lindsay averted her gaze away from Danny, and began to fidget nervously with the edge of her lab coat. With her head tilted away from him slightly, Danny saw the slight bruising on her neck for the first time. With that, he put his hand on her cheek to coax her to look at him. At the touch of his palm on the cheek, which had the bruise covered with makeup, the petite, frightened woman cowered away from his gentle touch. Realizing that she had another bruise on her left cheek under her make up, Danny led her to a chair and quickly wet some paper towels at the sink before kneeling down in front of her. "I'm sorry if this hurts Linds, but I have to look." Danny apologized as he gently began to wipe at the make up on her face. At this point, Lindsay was so shocked by all that had just gone on, that she didn't even flinch when Danny gingerly began to wipe the make up off her face to see the extent of her injuries. Instead, she allowed a few tears to roll their way down her cheeks as Danny continued his gentle care of her. Once all her make up was removed and Danny wiped away her tears, he assessed the damage to her face. The entire left side of her face from her jaw to right under her eye was colored a sickening mixture of black and blue. "Son of a bitch." Danny muttered as he continued to examine her face. He was tempted to go get Dr. Sheldon Hawkes to come examine her to make sure nothing was broken, but decided to find out what happened before he put her on display for the entire lab to see. "So, what exactly happened last night, Monroe?" Danny asked, using one of her nicknames as he took her hand in a show of support. Lindsay opened her mouth to answer the question, but Danny spoke again before she could say anything. "The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth this time, Montana." He said before letting her reevaluate the excuse she was about to give him for what happened.

Knowing that her days of hiding bruises and making excuses were over, Lindsay Monroe decided to actually come clean. "We had an argument and it got out of hand is all. He didn't mean it. He was just upset with me is all." She blurted out in one breath. Danny could hardly believe what the golden haired beauty in front of him was saying. Not only had she lied to him about being beaten by her boyfriend of two months, but also now, she was blaming herself for it. "Just an argument that got out of hand, my ass, Lindsay!" Danny yelled in shock. "He beat the crap out of you and you're saying he just got mad is all? What the hell could you have POSSSIBLY done to deserve him doing this to you?!" Danny asked, quieter this time. "I broke up with him." Lindsay answered quietly. "You broke up with him? Was that before or after he beat the hell outta ya?" he retorted pissed as ever. "I broke up with him because I was tired of him being jealous of all the time I spent working with you! Last night he accused me of sleeping with you and I just couldn't take it any more so I ended it right there. He told me that I was gonna regret doing that." Lindsay said, choking back a sob.

Standing right outside the lab were Detectives Mac Taylor and Stella Bonasara. "What is going on in there?" Mac asked, seeing that his two CSI's were getting into it. "I don't know. Practical joke gone awry?" Stella made a random guess. "No, I don't think that's it." Mac answered back as he noticed Lindsey appeared to be crying, and Danny seemed to be the cause of it. He motioned for Stella to follow him as he walked into the lab to investigate. "What's going on in here?" Mac asked as he walked over to the two young people in the corner. Danny looked up from his crouched position at the imposing officer, while Lindsay just kept her head down and continued to cry. "Lindsay are you okay?" Stella asked, and in return got a sob, but no verbal answer. "What did you do to her?" Mac asked Danny. "I didn't do anything to her!" Danny defended himself and quickly stood up. "Lindsay." Mac said, hoping to gain the rookie's attention. Still, she looked down and continued to cry softly. "Lindsay, look at me." Mac tried again, this time a little louder. Slowly Lindsay looked up at her superior. Nothing could have prepared Mac or Stella for what they saw. Upon seeing the bruises on her face, Stella drew in a deep breath before softly saying, "Oh, Lindsay." Mac just silently examined what was in front of him, before speaking in a calm voice. "Jesus, Lindsay. What happened to your face? Did Danny hit you?" He asked, shocking Danny that he would make such an implication with him standing right there. For her part, Lindsay adamantly said, "No" before looking up at Danny's face, her eyes beginning to tear up again as she silently begged him to tell the story for her. "Then what happened?" Stella asked as she knelt down next to the young woman. "Kevin beat the hell out of her, for breaking up with him is what happened." Danny answered the question when he saw the look on Lindsay's face. "He what?" Mac asked, not sure he'd heard Danny right. "She broke up with him, so he beat her up." Danny repeated. Just hearing the events of 12 hours ago, spoken aloud, sent Lindsay into another tail spin and she began to sob once more. Seeing this, Danny couldn't take it anymore. No one hurt his "girl" and got away with it. Even though he and Lindsay weren't dating, he felt the need to protect her and take care of her. With that thought in mind, he headed towards the door. "Stella, go get Sheldon and tell him Lindsay is hurt and we need him to look at her." Mac ordered, just as he noticed Danny walking out the door. "Where are you going?" He called after him. Danny stopped and answered the question. "I think Kevin needs to have a friendly little chat with New York's finest, don't you? He asked and started walking again. "Danny, don't kill him!" Lindsay cried as he walked away from her.

Danny got down to his car in a hurry and quickly headed off towards the apartment of the ill-fated Kevin Alexander. On the way over there, Danny let his mind wander. _"Lindsay Alexander. What a hokey name."_ Danny thought to himself as he drove. "Lindsay Messer has a much better ring to it." He said aloud before, even realizing he was thinking along that line in the first place. "Whoa there Messer! That's even assuming she feels the same way about you. And also assuming I feel that way about her." He said inwardly as he stopped at a traffic light. "Do I feel that way about her? Sure, I like to look at her and flirt with her. Hell, I even like holding her and burying my face in her hair when she needs comforting after a tough case. Maybe if she wasn't so damn cute and didn't smell so good, I wouldn't like it as much. But that still doesn't mean I think of her in a girlfriend way." Danny reasoned, as he turned down Kevin's street. _"You're on your way to beat up her boyfriend you idiot; of course you have feelings for her!"_ His brain taunted as he parked his car. "Ex boyfriend." Danny corrected himself aloud as he grabbed a lead pipe out of the backseat of his car and headed up to Kevin's apartment. "Maybe Mac was right….love can happen, even to me." Danny said to himself as he banged the pipe against Kevin's door. Suddenly, Danny's eyes grew wide with this sudden revelation. "Holy shit, do I love Lindsay Monroe?" He asked himself, but couldn't answer as the lock on the door in front of him clicked off, and the door started to open.

"Well, Detective. She's not here." Kevin curtly said, as soon as he saw Danny at his door. "I know she's not here." Danny hissed at him, his anger beginning to rise at the disdain he felt for this man. By his reaction, Danny knew Kevin knew he was there for some reason regarding Lindsay. "Well, if you know she's not here, then you should go find her." The tall man at the door told Danny, as he started to slam it in the shorter detective's face. That was the last straw. Danny officially hated this person and wanted to hurt him as bad as he'd hurt Lindsay; maybe worse. Before the door could close, however, Danny stuck the 3" diameter lead pipe in the door jam, effectively allowing him to push the door open and walk in. Once inside, Danny closed the door loudly and approached the incredulous little shit that stood in front of him. "So Kevin, let's talk." Danny growled at the shirtless man in front of him as he tapped the lead pipe in the palm of his hand. "Talk about what? Lindsay broke up with me, you can have her. Nothing to talk about there. She was a useless, stupid fuck anyway. I'm better off with a real piece of ass." Kevin did his best to insult her in order to get a rise out of the angry Italian in his living room.

What Kevin didn't know is that he'd just violated the two cardinal rules in the Danny Messer Guide to Talking About Lindsay Monroe. Rule one, never call her stupid. And even more importantly never, EVER insult her sex appeal. Ever. Danny quickly advanced on Kevin, and that is when the tall Latino knew he'd made a grave mistake. Right now, he couldn't help but be afraid of Detective Daniel Messer. As he backed into the very wall, he'd shoved Lindsay into and the pipe was slammed into the plaster dangerously close to his head. Kevin wondered if Danny could in fact kill him and get away with it, as Lindsay had said he could, after the first time he hit her. However, he didn't have much time to contemplate that before the lead pipe was removed from the wall and connected quickly, and violently, with his ribs, causing him to double over in pain.


	2. Nothing Says I Love You Like A Felony

Nothing Says I Love You Like A Felony

A/N I do not, I repeat, I do NOT own the hotness that is Danny Messer sob! In fact, I don't even own CSI: NY or any of the characters, plots, places, etc therein sob. I wish I did, I really do. Okay, I'm going to go weep bitterly and wish I owned Danny, now.

"I'm sure he's fine Lindsay." Detective Mac Taylor assured his rookie detective, to quell her fears for Danny.

"But it's been over eight hours. Why hasn't he called, come over, text messaged, something!" She insisted that this was very unlike Danny. Over the past year, he had gone out of his way at times to make certain that Lindsay could get a hold of him. However, this time, he had been so angry at what had happened to her that he just stormed out of the lab. That was at a little after 2pm, and now the clock was approaching 10pm.

"Lindsay, this is Danny we're talking about. Hot headed, possessive, over protective Danny. He's probably just blowing off some steam." Stella tried to reassure her young friend as she sat next to her on the couch.

"I know, he's all that. That's what worries me Stel. Danny's the kind to shoot first and ask questions later, remember?" Lindsay said, her lips curling in a slight smile as she thought about that first day they met at the zoo. She'd earned the nickname Montana that day, and it stuck.

"He's only like that when it comes to you honey." Stella told her, placing her arm around her friend. Hearing her words, Lindsay laughed, but quickly regretted it, when her bruised ribs protested painfully.

"Why don't you go take your medication and lay down for awhile? We'll tell you if we hear from him." Mac suggested.

"No, I want to be awake and lucid to yell at him when he resurfaces." Lindsay said with a smirk.

Just then, Mac's cell phone began to ring. He just smiled at her and walked across the room to take the call that the caller I.D. told him was from the county jail.

Given Danny's New York, rough around the edges manner and Lindsay's Midwestern charm, the two seemed to balance each other out, Mac thought as he opened his phone and spoke.

"Taylor" he answered. "Why are you calling from the jail?" Mac asked.

The word 'jail', immediately got the attention of both Stella and Lindsay as they listened to his end of the conversation intently.

"Jesus Danny. You didn't kill him, did you?" Mac asked, as he heard his detective tell him why he was in jail in the first place.

"I swear, I'm gonna kill him myself." Lindsay muttered when she heard that Danny was in jail.

"You want to talk to Lindsay? She's right here and it looks like she has something on her mind, especially for you." Mac said, with a glance at a smirking Stella, and pissed off Lindsay. Despite Danny's incarceration, he couldn't help but make fun of the married couple aspect of his and Lindsay's relationship.

"Oh, okay. No, no, I completely understand how you can easily put a 6'3" 180lb man in a body cast, yet be terrified of what a 5'3" 100lb girl is going to do to you." Mac said, not quite able to hold back his laughter.

Hearing this last comment, made Lindsay and Stella laugh aloud so that Danny could hear it on the other end of the phone.

"Okay, I'll be there to get you out soon, then." Mac said before ending the call and putting the phone back on his belt clip.

"Alright, I have to go get your 'boyfriend' out of jail now for assaulting your ex with a deadly weapon and breaking both his arms and left leg." Mac told Lindsay as he grabbed his jacket off the back of a chair and slung it over his shoulders.

"What was the deadly weapon?" Stella asked as he got ready to walk out the front door.

"A lead pipe" Mac answered before turning his attention to Lindsay for a brief moment.

"I'll be back with him in an hour. Take a pain pill while I'm gone and relax." He told her before he walked out the door.

"Thanks Mac." She replied sleepily.

As soon as Mac was gone, Stella gave Lindsay a knowing look. Lindsay gave her that completely innocent look that Stella had come to know so well.

"So, you're pissed, huh?" Stella asked a question she already knew the answer to.

"Well, I wouldn't so much call it 'pissed' as I would excessively aggravated with Danny Messer." Lindsay answered, knowing she was dancing around the real meaning of Stella's question.

Stella rolled her eyes dramatically at this answer. "Okay, we'll do this your way Linds. What caused this "excessive aggravation" towards Danny?" Stella asked, using the same exact wording as Lindsay.

"He's an idiot, that's what caused it." Lindsay blurted out, as she held a sage colored throw pillow on her lap.

"He was just angry Lindsay." Stella defended Danny's off the cuff reaction of the day.

"I remember when I started working at the lab; Danny was always so even tempered and charming. Now, he goes off and worries me by doing stuff like this. What in the world made him change like that?" Lindsay asked her friend, genuinely curious.

"You" Came Stella's simple answer.

"Me? What did I have to do with it?" Lindsay asked the appropriate amount of bewilderment in her voice.

"You came to work in the lab and made him fall in love with you" Stella answered her question, no longer able to hide her smile as what she had just said, registered in Lindsay's head.

Upon her words registering in her pain-fogged brain, Lindsay's eyes popped open, and her jaw dropped with shock as she stared at Stella. "I…I…He…" Lindsay fumbled with her words to speak.

"Lindsay Monroe, you did the impossible and made Danny Messer, New York's most notorious player, fall in love with you." Stella repeated in more detail for her, laughing at the smaller woman's obvious shock at what she knew to be true being spoken aloud.

"But…he never...I can't…we're just…he is not!" Lindsay finally spat out when she had regained her ability to speak.

Again, Stella laughed as she watched the young, talented CSI try and regain her composure enough to deny what every person in the New York City Crime Lab could see. "Lindsay, it's so obvious you guys are in to each other. Even the blind man on the corner notices it!" Stella said with a satisfied grin at the young woman's embarrassment with this subject. "But that's a topic for another day. You had better go take your medication and maybe even change before Mac gets back. I don't want him to think we've been gossiping about Danny while he was gone." Stella said with a laugh.

Lindsay stared at Stella with a look of contemplation on her face. Was it true? Could Danny Messer actually be in love with her? Could she actually be in love with him? Deciding to give it some thought, she smiled at her curly haired friend before heading into her bedroom to change into something more comfortable. "Thanks Stel" the short brown-haired woman tossed over her shoulder as she closed the door to the small room.

At the police station, Mac had finally posted the bail for Danny and was just waiting for the paperwork and processing to be finished for his release. He sat in a chair and waited. As he waited, his mind began to wonder to topics of fishing, a paperless office, and what in the world would possess Danny Messer to do such a thing to someone.

'I know the kid is entirely too fond of her for things to be strictly work related, but I didn't think he cared about Lindsay this much. Oh sure, I heard a random story about him carrying her across a rooftop, but surely she couldn't have gotten those results by any other means.' Mac told himself; even though he was sure, she had other methods at her disposal for her little 'experiment'. As he thought, he came to several strange things that led him to believe this feeling, whatever it is, may be a mutual one. First, he thought about how whenever they were in the lab together, Danny always seemed to stand much closer to her than necessary. And then there was the way he always seemed to be surreptitiously checking her out, even when he was really supposed to be doing something else.

Before Mac's thoughts could get any further, the door for the release of the prisoners opened and Danny emerged. Mac stood up, signed the necessary release forms, collected any documents needed and led the young man to his SUV.

Once they were on the road, Danny finally spoke more words than just 'fine' and 'okay', as he had done when he was asked if he was alright and if he was ready to go.

"How's Montana doing?" Danny asked as soon as he realized Mac wasn't going to kill him for what he had done. Hearing Danny's cutesy term of endearment for the petite woman, Mac held back his smile and answered the question. "She's in a bit of pain, but otherwise she's okay, physically. She was worried about you, Danny." The older man threw in after a short pause and glancing at the roughed up man sitting next to him.

Hearing that she was in pain and he'd caused her to worry on top of that, made Danny wince noticeably before he spoke. "I didn't mean to worry her. I was just so angry that anyone would even consider hurting her. I didn't know what else to do." Danny explained.

"You could have stayed around to be with her in the emergency room." Mac said flatly.

"Emergency room? But I thought you said she was okay!" Danny exclaimed, the concern evident in his voice.

"She is okay Danny. Her back is all bruised up, as is her neck and her cheek and a couple bruised ribs, but with some rest and taking the medication they gave her for pain, she'll be fine in a few weeks." Mac explained what the doctor had told them, once they had finally convinced her to go and be checked out.

"Bruised ribs? She didn't mention him hitting her there." Danny thought aloud, his lips in a tight thin line and his hand clenched into a fist around the handle of the door as his anger rose again and he wished he could go back and beat that jerk down again.

"I think there's a lot she hasn't mentioned to us." Mac answered his thought.

"About Kevin." The young detective inferred what Mac meant.

"About Kevin. About her past. Life in general. She's not the most forthcoming person I've ever met." Mac clarified for him.

"Well, maybe she just hasn't found someone she can feel comfortable opening up to." Danny threw out the possibility as to why Lindsay stayed so quiet about her past.

"Maybe you can be that person she'll feel comfortable enough with to actually talk about things." Mac suggested.

Danny just looked over at his boss, as Mac kept his eyes on the road and waited for the younger man to respond to what he said. They were getting closer to Lindsay's apartment, so he needed to get it out now.

"Nah. I don't think we're close enough with each other for that. We're just casual friends." Danny said as Mac pulled up outside the apartment.

"Danny, you just beat up her ex-boyfriend with a lead pipe. I think that pushes the two of you WAY over the 'casual friend' line. Now the question is; what are you going to do about that?" Mac said as he and Danny walked up to the front door and Mac pushed the button for Lindsay to buzz them in.

Once they had been buzzed in, they made the walk up the three flights of stairs to Lindsay's apartment. Danny was quiet for the first flight when he pulled himself out of his quiet contemplation and thought of something to say. "Well walking up and down these stairs everyday hurt her ribs anymore?" He asked for no particular reason outside of small talk, but once he had and saw Mac's facial expression change, he knew it had been a bad idea.

Mac looked at the man lagging behind him with a hint of amusement in his eyes before he spoke. "What if it will? Are you offering to carry her up and down the stairs? It might be a bit harder than carrying her across a roof, Danny."

Before Danny could respond, they were there in front of Lindsay's apartment and Mac knocked on the door. When no one answered, Mac knocked again, and Danny started to get nervous.

'Why isn't she answering? What if something is wrong and she can't get to the door?' Danny wondered to himself.

Just then, the sound of Stella and Lindsay laughing echoed through the door and Mac called out, "Come one Stella! Would you girls quiet gabbing and let me and jail bird in already?" he said referring to himself and Danny, respectively.

At the sound of him calling Danny, 'jail bird', there were two final shrieks of laughter as Stella unlocked and opened the door to let the men enter the apartment.

When they saw Stella, Danny smiled sheepishly at the big grin on her face and tears glistening in her eyes. After studying her face intently for a moment, Mac turned to Danny and spoke, "You're gonna catch hell for this. I can tell" he told the young detective. Danny just nodded his head in agreement, as he followed Mac into the apartment.

The trio walked into the apartment and stood in the middle of the living room. When Danny looked towards the right, in the direction of Lindsay's room, there she was. She was dressed comfortably in an over sized NYPD t-shirt and grey sweat pants. Even wearing sweats, she was still a vision in Danny's eyes and he couldn't help but stare. He took in her disheveled hair, tired eyes and thoughtful expression on her face.

Danny was the first to break the awkward silence by saying "Hi". He kept his hands stuck in his pockets the entire time.

"Hi" Lindsay barely mumbled back, flicking her gaze from his face to the floor in front of him and back.

After another couple minutes of awkward silence, Lindsay spoke again. "You okay?" She half-mumbled this time.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Danny answered, surprised that she was more concerned about how he was doing than with telling him off for scaring her. "Are you okay?" he asked, hoping she would give him an answer to assuage the guilt her felt welling up inside his chest every time he looked into her sad, puppy dog eyes.

"Yeah, I'm…uh…I guess so." She finally settled on saying after stumbling with the right words to use. In reality, Lindsay wanted to yell and scream at him. She wanted to tell him that she was not okay, that she was in pain and injured. She wanted to scream that she, Detective Lindsay Monroe, a cop; had gotten the crap beaten out of her by some guy. She wanted to fall against Danny's chest and cry as he wrapped her in a safe, warm hug.

As if sensing that Lindsay had something she wanted to tell Danny in private, Stella spoke up.

"Well, now that everyone is present and accounted for, we're gonna go ahead and get out of here so you both can talk and get some rest. Come on Mac, I'll buy you a late dinner." Stella said slapping his arm to get him out of his trance as she walked over to Danny and Lindsay.

First Stella gave a hug to Danny and whispered in his ear, "she's had a really traumatic day. Try and be understanding." Danny hugged her back and said, "Bye Stella."

Next, Stella moved to Lindsay. She gently wrapped her arms around the young woman, being careful to not hurt her, and drew her into a hug. As she pulled away, she whispered to Lindsay, "he just committed a felony for you, try not to be too hard on him." Hearing this, Lindsay giggled as she nodded her agreement with Stella's statement.

For his part, Mac shook Danny's hand and gave him the following day off to tend to Lindsay, before turning to her and giving her a gentle hug and telling her that the lab won't be the same without her for the next week, but everyone would be checking up on her often.

Stella and Mac headed for the door with Danny following to lock up when Stella turned to look at Lindsay and speak once more. "Remember what I told you earlier, Lindsay. Nothing says I love you like a felony". With that, Lindsay burst out laughing, with the memory that she and Stella had been talking about that very thing when the guys showed up.

Danny said goodbye to Mac once more, while giving Stella a dirty look. Once they were down the hall, Danny closed the door and turned his attention back to a bruised and battered Lindsay.

"Well, she seems to be doing okay" Mac said, referring to Lindsay.

"Of course she seems to be okay Mac. It's only been 24 hours. Give her some time and we'll see how this is really affecting her." Stella told him.

"What do you mean?" Mac asked, not exactly sure what Stella was talking about.

"The psychological aspect, Mac. She might seem fine now, but in a day or so, she'll probably start to experience anxiety over being left alone, flashbacks, nightmares, and maybe even some depression. I speak from experience." Stella told him what might lay ahead for Lindsay.

"You had that happen with Frankie, huh?" Mac asked and Stella nodded her response as she got into the truck. "So, what do we do to help her?" Mac asked. He was truly proud of Lindsay, and would hate to see the fire in her personality disappear from her work and life because of some scumbag.

"We'll be there for her. Listen when she wants to talk. Be there when she needs to cry. And always be ready with a sense of humor when she needs distraction. Don't push her. She'll work through this at her own pace with the proper support." Stella told him as they drove off.

Back inside the apartment, Danny locked the door and walked back into the living room to notice that Lindsay hadn't moved from her original spot. She looked a bit nervous to him, as if she was contemplating something. Her eyes were focused on the floor in front of her as she chewed on her bottom lip quietly and fidgeted with her shirt nervously.

"Lindsay" he said quietly to get her attention.

Hearing her name, Lindsay jumped nervously, and her head snapped up to see who was there. Seeing that it was only Danny, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Danny was taken aback by her overreaction to his presence, but decided to keep talking to her to help her feel more at ease. After all, she was in her own home now. It's not as if she was at Kevin's apartment where the assault had taken place. "Whatcha thinking about?" he asked watching her closely.

"You could have been killed." She muttered, trading in her nervousness for being ticked off at Danny. Her eyes slowly met his, and she could feel the fear of those eight hours where she had no idea where he was, or if he was okay, welling back up inside her.

Danny could see the telltale signs that she was upset with him. The fire in her eyes, stiffening of her jaw and return of her Midwestern accent, that she'd almost totally lost since moving to New York, where the classic symptoms of a ticked off Montana.

"But I'm okay. He didn't kill me and I'm fine. He's not gonna hurt you again and I'm here with you." Danny said, hoping to avoid the shit fit she was about to have.

"Like hell you're okay! Look at you, Messer!" Lindsay said, taking in the bruised cheek, busted lip, and large contusion on his forehead. "Obviously he got his hands on you, and yet you have the balls to tell me you're okay?!" She yelled, masking her feelings of fear about what could have happened with anger.

"Okay, you're pissed. I get it. I'm sorry I worried you." Danny said, hoping that would be enough to get her to drop the subject entirely.

"You get it and you're sorry? Do you honestly think that's going to help?! I was worried sick about you! I didn't know if you were just out getting shit faced, or wandering the streets or had really gone to hurt Kevin. I had no clue if you were okay or if he had hurt you! What if he had killed you Danny? What would I have done then!?" Lindsay yelled back, finally allowing her release to come in the form of tears as she stopped yelling and began to cry.

Danny was shocked by this turn of events. First off, Lindsay never swore; ever. Secondly, yelling was just out of character for her. And crying? He couldn't think of a time, other than the Holly case where he'd seen her do that. It pained him to see her upset, and even worse, it pained him to know that it was at least partially due to him. As he looked at her in shock, Danny realized just how fragile Lindsay was right now. With all her bruises and the downtrodden look on her face, he could hardly stand it. It didn't help that he knew there wasn't a damn thing he could do to make this right for her. All Danny could do was be there for her if she needed him. With that thought, he crossed the room to envelope her in a comforting hug.

"Shhh. Shhh. Its okay, Linds." He said softly as he held his arms out to her. Even with Danny offering his arms to her, Lindsay stood in place and continued to cry. Finally, he put his hands on her shoulders and gently drew her towards his chest. After a moment of trepidation, Lindsay decided it was safe and allowed herself to sob into his chest as her hands gripped his shirt desperately, and his arms wrapped around her.

After several minutes of crying and Danny silently calms her, Lindsay readjusts her position in Danny's arms, but doesn't move out of them. Danny rests his cheek against the top of her head and inhales the mango/kumquat scent of her shampoo. As they stand there, Danny finds himself silently thanking God that she is okay and he still has his Montana to hold on to.

A couple minutes later, Danny breaks the hugs and looks down at Lindsay. "You hungry?" He asks her. "A little." She answers him with a slight yawn. "Tell ya what. Why don't you go and get settled on the couch and I'll make us both something to eat since I'm hungry too." He says flashing her, that cocky smile she's loves to hate so much. Lindsay gave him the first real smile he'd seen on her face all day and nodded her agreement before going to relax on the couch.

Once in her kitchen, Danny rummages around in the fridge and cupboards until he finds something they can eat. "Good lord, Montana. Don't you keep any food in this house?" He asks her exasperated, but not expecting an answer. After another minute of rummaging, Danny finds a loaf of white bread, some cheddar cheese, butter, milk and a can of tomato soup. Suddenly, from behind him he hears a soft chuckle. Quickly, he turned around and found Lindsay standing against the counter, watching him with a smile on her face.

"Is this all you have in this place?" Danny asked, glad that she was in a better mood.

"Pretty much." Came her matter of fact reply. "I haven't had a chance to go to the store lately. Besides, I'm not here to really cook all that often, so I don't keep cooking stuff on hand. Mainly its jus soups, sandwiches and salads." She finished off, seeing the surprised expression on his face.

"I figured country girls liked to cook" Danny teased in his thick Staten Island accent as he put the soup in a pot to heat up and began to assemble the sandwiches.

"I never said I don't _like_ to cook. I just _don't_ cook." She corrected, as she watched the handsome detective flip the sandwiches so they could brown on the other side. "Can I help?" she asked, wanting to busy herself so that she wouldn't have to concentrate on having Danny in such close quarters.

"You can get the drinks and go take it easy, like you're supposed to be doing anyway." Danny answered, turning around just in time to catch her checking him out. Quickly Lindsay averted her gaze as her cheeks flushed bright pink. "Why Miss Monroe! I'm shocked at your forwardness." Danny said in mock shock, with a teasing smirk on his face.

"Don't be a jackass" Lindsay muttered as she grabbed two beers from the fridge and left Danny at the stove laughing, as he plated their food.

Five minutes later, the pair was seated in front of the television watching a Mets game and chatting as they ate. This was the first time the pair had been able to just sit and enjoy each others company since Lindsay had stood Danny up on that lunch date, a few months earlier. Lindsay had forgotten how nice it was just to be in Danny's company and not have to worry about the wrath or jealousy of anyone else For his part, Danny relished in the time he was able to spend with her. He'd always liked spending time with her, but lately, it had only been at work and their relationship had been strained since that date. It was only in the past three or four weeks that things seemed to be getting back on track with them as friends.

"Maybe this is a turning point, Messer" Danny thought to himself as he sat his dishes on the coffee table in front of them and unconsciously draped his arm across the back of the couch and Lindsay's shoulders.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Lindsay asked tentatively brushing her fingers over Danny's bruised cheek, concern present on her face.

At the feeling of her soft, warm touch, Danny's cheek electrified. She'd always had this effect on him and he liked it very much. His only regret was that he couldn't act on it; at least not yet. She was still to vulnerable. "I'm fine, Montana." He replied. Still, she didn't seemed convinced as she continued to study his injuries and stroke his face gently. 'Oh my god. She has no idea what affect she's having on me right now.' Danny thought to himself as he felt that familiar feeling of desire begin to churn up in his body again. "Really." He said and took her hand in his before he took her empty plate and bowl and sat them next to his along with both empty beer bottles.

Seeing her yawn, Danny readjusted his position on the couch so that he was reclining and motioned for her to lay down next to him. Nervously, Lindsay laid down and fidgeted until she was in a comfortable position. The pair laid there watching the television silently, until Danny spoke. "I'm glad you're okay. You don't have to worry about Kevin anymore. I promise you that much, Lindsay." He whispered as he brushed a few stray strands of hair out of her face. Lindsay mumbled something incoherent and her right hand came to rest on his left shoulder and she let out a soft, contended sigh. Within minutes, she was sound asleep. It was then, that Danny was able to carry her to her bed and tuck her in for a good nights sleep.

A/N-Well, that's it! You all know what to do! Click the little purple button on the bottom left of your screen and tell me what you think. C'mon, you know you want to!

I just want to thank all of you that reviewed and left me a little note. It gives me encouragement to write to know what you think!

A special thanks to DKM for being my beta! You rock! Luv ya chica!


	3. The Random Musings of Danny Messer

Ch 3 The Random Musings of Danny Messer

Disclaimer: Don't own CSI:NY…yadda, yadda…Danny Messer, not mine…yadda, yadda…No characters on CSI:NY are mine, blah, blah, blah…Don't sue…dead broke…so one and so forth.

It didn't take long for Danny to fall asleep on the couch once he was certain Lindsay was asleep and okay. Being the gentleman he was, he wouldn't even consider sleeping in the same bed with her even if it was just platonic. _"Because lord only knows how long that would last."_ Was the last thought he remembered having before drifting off into a sleep filled with pleasant dreams of Lindsay's smile, her laugh, and how perfect she was.

Around 3 am, Danny was awakened by the sounds coming from the bedroom. It took him a minute to realize where he was, but once he put his glasses on and surveyed his surroundings, it hit him what the noise was _'Lindsay'_ he thought as he sat up and called to her. "You okay Montana?"

When she didn't reply, Danny got up and walked over to the doorway of her room. He'd left the door ajar just in case she'd needed him through the night. Doing his best to be quiet, Danny stood in the doorway and watched the small woman as she slept fitfully. It was obvious to him that she was dreaming, and it didn't seem to be a pleasant dream at all. He watched her for a moment, then realized that in the dream she appeared to become more and more afraid the longer she was asleep. Remembering what kind of pain his own bruised ribs had caused him, when Louie had beat him up as a kid, he knew that all the thrashing she was doing wasn't going to be kind to her body. Deciding to wake her up, Danny first went into the kitchen to get a glass of water for her to wash down her medication with, before going back into the bedroom.

Danny walked in the door and sat the glass of water on her nightstand next to the prescription bottle. Just as Danny set the glass down, Lindsay jerked awake with a start.

"Whoa, whoa. Calm down. You okay there?" Danny said soothingly as he put his hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

Lindsay said nothing, continuing to stare at the comforter over her as she tried to get her breathing and pulse under control and calm herself down. "A dream. It was only a dream. He's not here." She whispered, still not making eye contact with Danny.

"You wanna talk about it?" Danny asked as he took his hand off her shoulder and sat down on the edge of the bed. Feeling the mattress give under Danny's weight, Lindsay jumped.

"It's just me. No need to get all excited!" Danny said when she jumped.

"Jesus Danny! You scared the hell out of me!" She said, trying desperately to get control of herself again. After all, it was only a dream, wasn't it? Danny wouldn't let Kevin come back here and hurt her again. Just thinking of Kevin coming back scared Lindsay again and she began to cry.

Shocked by this reaction, Danny just pulled her into his arms and rubbed her back letting her cry it out. "Shhh. It's okay Montana. You're fine. I'm here." He quietly soothed. Sitting back to take in her disheveled appearance, Danny wiped away the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs as he spoke to her. "Now, what was all that about?" He asked softly, encouraging her to talk.

At his tenderness, Lindsay calmed almost immediately. Normally, Danny Messer wasn't what you would consider tender, gentle or loving, but right now, he was being all three. Lindsay decided it would be okay to tell him about the dream. But when she began to speak, that overwhelming fear took over again, allowing her to only croak out one word.

"Kevin" she sobbed as she collapsed against Danny's chest and held on to him as if her life depended on it.

With that one word, Danny didn't need her to explain further. He knew the dream had involved what had happened to her. Instead, he stroked her hair and gave thanks to the powers-that-be, that he was there to help her through this.

'_I promise you Lindsay, I'll be right here as long as you let me'_ Danny thought as he sat her back to examine her pain stricken face. She didn't even need to tell him she was in pain for him to take two pills out of the bottle and offer them to her along with the water.

"Thank you" she said, amazed that he knew that she was in pain. It was then that, she was thankful for the deep connection they shared.

After she had taken the pills, Danny laid her back down against the pillows and tucked her in, knowing the medication would kick in shortly. She closed her eyes feeling the effects of the medication. Feeling like it was safe, Danny stood up from the bed to head back to the couch when her hand reached out and grabbed his.

"Will you stay…..until I fall asleep?" She asked a slight hesitation in her voice. "Absolutely" Danny answered with a smile at her uncertainty and sat back down.

For the next thirty minutes, Danny just sat there and held her hand as he watched her drift into what he hoped was going to be a peaceful sleep. Only after he was positive she was asleep, did he get off the bed. However, instead of going back to the couch, he found himself sitting on the floor.

'_All the better to keep an eye on her'_ he reasoned that was why he wanted to watch her sleep. In reality, he just wanted to be near her.

As Danny sat there and watched her sleep, he was glad she was safe, but he had this feeling that this was only the beginning of a long nightmare for her. He couldn't shake that feeling and he didn't quite know why. Instead of trying to figure it out, Danny decided to just let his mind wander where it would.

_I figured it out  
I was high and low and everything in between  
I was wicked and wild, baby, you know what I mean  
Till there was you, yeah, you_

As Danny sat there, he began to think of the time he met Lindsay. He remembered that he hadn't wanted to meet a new person after Aiden was fired. And like the petulant child Lindsay and Aiden both say he is, he dug his heels in firmly when Mac told him about the new recruit and was adamant that he would not like her and no one could make him. In fact, Danny made the decision to make it his daily business for her to know he didn't like her and she wasn't welcome on 'his' turf. That day at the zoo, he set out to let her know that he wanted Aiden back and not her. He played a practical joke and even named her Montana, since that is where she's from. He got the feeling she didn't like him either and he was just a thorn in her side, but she didn't leave.

_Something went wrong   
I made a deal with the devil for an empty I.O.U.  
Been to hell and back, but an angel was looking through  
It was you, yeah, you   
It's all because of you_

One day, to his shock, Danny discovered that he was okay with her being there, on his turf. Yes, he still thought she was invading his territory, but it was somehow okay with him. 'Just because I'm okay with it doesn't mean I like her though'. He remembered telling himself. Even though he didn't want to like her, he found himself liking her; it was against his will though. She was there as he dealt with Aiden's death, she was there when Louie was beaten and he had to deal with that. For crying aloud, she had even worried about him when he was trapped in the panic room. How could he not like her? 'Okay, I like her, but it's only because we work together. I would never give her a second look otherwise.' He had told himself at that time.

_You are the reason   
You are the reason I wake up every day  
And sleep through the night  
You are the reason, the reason_

The real turning point had to be the day that Danny hopped out of bed without even hitting the snooze alarm once. He'd showered and gotten dressed, being extra careful to pick out an outfit that Lindsay hadn't seen yet, but he hoped she would like. "I'm not trying to impress her" he told himself as he slipped on the forest green polo shirt. _'Yes you are'_ the voice of his best friend Don Flack taunted in his head. Then it hit Danny, "what if she's not there today" he asked himself. He had checked the schedule the night before and knew she was supposed to be on, but he couldn't help wonder what if she wasn't. All his careful planning would be for nothing. "Okay, maybe I do want to look good for her. But only because I want her to know I am a competent professional that won't turn into a bumbling fool around a pretty woman" Danny told himself, even though he knew somewhere in the back of his mind that wasn't entirely true.

_In the middle of the night  
I'm going down 'cause I adore you  
I want to floor you_

Danny sat there and watched her sleep. "Gosh she's beautiful when she's asleep. Like an angel." Danny said to himself as he stared at her. _'I wonder if she ever dreams about me'_ is the question that entered his mind as he sat there and thought more. Danny vividly remembered the first dream he ever had about her. It had revolved around the diamond heist where she had gone in undercover and could have easily been killed. His dream had followed the horrible events of that day in almost the exact way they actually happened. Except for the fact that it was only the two of them and he had kissed her. However, before anything else could happen, he was awakened by the sound of his alarm clock.

_I'm giving it up  
No more running around spinning my wheel  
You came out of my dream and made it real  
I know what I feel  
It's you  
It's all because of you_

And then there was her heart breaking speech. "Danny, I like you…a lot" she had told him, and then went on to tell him that she just couldn't be in a relationship with him or anyone. "Maybe we should just do our jobs", her words echoed in his head and still cut like a knife into his soul. Still, Danny had been the sweet guy he always was. He told her to let him know if she ever needed anything. However, watching her walk away and not even look back, made him want to cry. He felt as if the greatest thing in his world was just ripped away from him and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it, or anyone he could blame. Danny knew that if she wanted to talk to him, it would have to be she that made the first move. He knew she loved him. He just felt it. But he also knew he couldn't push. So he didn't. Danny decided to just let her come to him and tell him when she was ready. _'Maybe that's what she's doing now'_ he questioned himself as to why she was letting him take care of her.

_You are the reason   
You are the reason I wake up every day  
And sleep through the night  
You are the reason, the reason_

After that horrible day, Danny found that he didn't look forward to his time at the lab near as much as he used to. It had just become a job again for him. He tried to pretend that the team didn't notice the changes in him, but they did. He knew they did. He could tell that people looked at him differently when he and Lindsay weren't hanging around each other at every opportunity. Even Mac hadn't put them together on the same cases as he used to. Danny couldn't ignore that. He knew it wasn't an accident. But the worst thing for Danny had to be the empty look in her eyes when he saw her at the lab. She looked so lost and alone. And it just killed him that there wasn't a damn thing in the world he could say to make it all better for her. That would have to come from her.

_In the middle of the night  
I'm going down 'cause I want you  
I want to touch you  
I want to floor you  
You are the reason, baby_

Danny continued to watch the sleeping woman and smiled to himself as he thought about what event had started to get there relationship back on track. As much as he hated Kevin right now, he had to be thankful that Lindsay drifted back into his personal life when she had met Kevin and things got tough. It pained him to think of that first middle of the night call he'd gotten from her after the pair had been seeing each other for a whole month. Truthfully, after meeting Kevin one time, that had exceeded Danny's expectations by about three weeks. It had been barely 2 a.m. when his phone had rung, waking him from his much-needed slumber.

_Flashback…_

"Hello" Danny mumbled into the phone, not even bothering to look at his caller I.D.

"Danny" Lindsay sobbed quietly.

"Montana? What's the matter?" Danny asked sitting up. He was now fully awake and alarmed by the emotion in her voice.

"He's such a jerk I don't even know why I bother with him." Was all she said, as she sniffled and tried to regain the composure she usually had.

"Who, Kevin? What did he do to make you think this?" Danny asked, hoping that he hadn't sounded pleased that she was deciding that jerk was a waste of her time.

"We had a stupid fight. Apparently I work too much and don't spend enough time with him." Lindsay explained, the bitterness she felt towards her new boyfriend coming through in her voice loud and clear.

Danny did his best to hold back the chuckle that threatened to escape his throat as he pictured the trademark, exasperated Lindsay Monroe eye roll that was surely happening on the other end of the line.

"You're a CSI Lindsay. It's not as if you work a normal 9-5 desk job. Murderers don't really give a damn how much time Kevin thinks you need to devote to him. Hell, if Kevin even had a job, period, he would understand you can't spend every waking second with him just because he has nothing better to do." Danny explained to her, aggravated that the punk had put her through this.

"Yeah, I know" She agreed with what Danny was telling her.

"If you know this, then why do you put up with him?" Danny asked her.

"I don't know. I guess I just…I don't know." She said, deciding not to give a reason for his question.

_End Flashback/ _

That conversation had been the beginning of those two getting their friendship back on track.

_You are the reason   
You are the reason I wake up every day  
And sleep through the night  
You are the reason, the reason_

It wasn't until Lindsay sighed softly and began to stir, that Danny realized he'd been staring at her for over two hours, just thinking about himself, her, and them. What them was he talking about? There was no 'them' to think about. She was his friend and she was hurting. He was there to help his friend. That's it. _'Okay, sure I wouldn't be opposed to starting a relationship with her, but right now is not the time to even consider such a thing. She has too many things to work out before that can even be put on the table.'_ Danny thought to himself as he watched her delicate hand come up and brush some of the golden brown curls that had fallen in her face while she slept out of her eyes.

Danny thought of how much he would love to crawl next to her and bring that hand to his lips and gently place a kiss on the soft skin. It was at that precise moment that Lindsay's eyes fluttered open to catch him sitting on the floor staring at her, licking his lips in that sexy way he always did. She was surprised shortly that he was there in the first place. Then the previous night came flooding back into her sleep fogged brain, jolting her awake immediately.

"Hi" she mumbled, finally deciding that she was glad to see him.

"Hi. Did you get any sleep?" Danny asked softly, as if he didn't know the answer to that question already.

"A little. How long have you been sitting there?" She answered his question and asked one of her own.

"A while" Danny told her, still not sure on the exact time frame of his daydreaming.

"What were you thinking about?" Lindsay asked, with a genuine smile playing on her lips.

"You. Us. This." Danny answered honestly smiling back at her as he inched his way closer to the bed to take her hand in his and squeeze it gently.

"Thank you for staying." Lindsay told him.

"There's no place I'd rather be Montana." He replied, squeezing her fingers again.

A/N -Well, that's all for this chapter! I want to thank you all for reviewing the last chapter! It's what gives me motivation to write! I might be a bit slow in updating for chapter 4 because of family issues, but rest assured it is coming. That is of course, unless you all don't like this story. If you do, go ahead and press that little purple button on the bottom left of your screen to submit a review. I love reviews! In fact, I am a review whore and thrive on reviews! The muse NEEDS reviews people!

And as always, a big thanks to DKM for being my beta! It helped a lot with this chapter, chica!


	4. Of Interrogations and Innuendos

Ch 4 Of Interrogations and Innuendos

A/N: I don't own CSI: NY, the cast, any show plots, or the orgasmically yummy Danny Messer. Although, with Christmas coming up, if Jerry Bruckheimer wants to give me Danny to have my way with, I would be oh-so-pleased! Can I have him Mr. Bruckheimer? Can I? Can I? Huh? Huh?

The sun shone bright that late October morning in New York. Don Flack, along with Stella Bonasera, were on their way to New York Presbyterian Hospital. The purpose of this visit was to visit Kevin Alexander and get his version of what went on the previous night with Danny as well as to what had happened with him and Lindsay, a couple days prior. They were almost sure that he would play the innocent victim as to what happened with Danny; and they were positive he would flat out lie about what happened with Lindsay.

"He's going to blame the whole thing on her. You know that, right?" Stella asked as she sat in the passenger seat of the car.

"I know. I also know that none of this was Lindsay's fault and she deserves justice just as much as any other victim we've ever dealt with." Flack replied from his spot behind the wheel of the car as he circled the parking garage again, looking for a place to park. "I never thought I would be referring to Lindsay as a victim of a crime." He said to no one in particular, as he found a spot and parked the car.

"I know. It seems incomprehensible to me that anyone would want to hurt her. She's always been such a sweetheart to work with." Stella commented as the pair began the walk into the hospital.

"I can't do it, Don." Stella said as the pair waited for the elevator to take them to the fifth floor orthopedic unit, where Kevin was.

"Can't do what?" Flack asked as the elevator doors closed and took the two detectives to their destination. "Look, if dealing with what Kevin did to Lindsay hits too close to home for you to work on this case, I completely understand." Don said, looking at his friend with compassion in his eyes.

Hearing this, Stella smiled at Don as the doors dinged open. It was nice to know that people understood how hard this could be for her, seeing that her own episode with Frankie was still so fresh. Still, Stella knew she would work this case to the best of her ability, and hoped that she would be able to use what happened to her to help Lindsay deal with her own abuse.

"No, it's not that. I can't refer to Lindsay as a victim of violence. She's my friend, not some case number on the docket that I deal with." Stella explained, hoping Don would understand.

Don just nodded in agreement and understanding as the two walked through the halls to Kevin's room. "I know Stel. In the past year and a half, Lindsay has become my friend too. She's a wonderful CSI, and an amazing person. Her personality is infectious. Just look at how much she's rubbed off on Danny." Flack commented.

"I know. I never would have imagined him doing this for any girl in a million years. Let's face it. Danny Messer is actually in love." Stella said as the two stopped in front of Kevin's door.

"Like he'd ever admit it though." Flack said with a smile as he put his hand on the doorknob. "You ready to do this?" He questioned before he and Stella walked into the task that lie ahead of them.

"Fifty bucks says they're an official couple by New Years" Stella said with a mischievous smile, before nodding her head in response to his question.

"You've got yourself a bet detective." Don said with a cocky smile and shaking Stella's hand, before opening the door in front of them.

Once the door was opened, the pair stepped into a sterile hospital room. In the bed on the far right wall, was Kevin. His left eye was black, his left cheek had a huge abrasion that spanned his entire cheekbone and both his arms and right leg were in plaster casts. On his leg, the cast extended from just above his knee all the way down to his foot. On Kevin's left arm, the cast took up his entire arm, starting just three inches under his shoulder. His right arm faired much better from Danny's wrath as that cast only took up the forearm.

Flack took a moment to catalogue what was in front of him, before a noticeable smile of satisfaction, that only the woman next to him saw, crossed his lips. The smile was only there for a moment before Stella spoke to get Kevin's attention.

"Mr. Alexander." Stella announced her presence to the scum in the bed before continuing. "I'm Detective Bonasera and this is Detective Flack with the NYPD. We're here about Detectives Lindsay Monroe and Daniel Messer." She stated, going straight down to business with this man.

"I want them both arrested and their badges taken away immediately." Kevin stated, as if it was actually going to happen.

"Excuse me?" Flack said, his eyes widening with surprise, not quite believing that this idiot thought that Lindsay, of all people, would be arrested for what happened to him.

"She lied about what happened to her, and told him to get me back for something I didn't do." Kevin spoke incredulously.

"What part did she lie about Mr. Alexander? The part where she told him you hit her after breaking up with you, or the part where she told us that she knew that what you did wasn't her fault?" Stella shot back.

Stella had known that Kevin would likely blame Lindsay for what had happened, but it still upset her to hear that he was blaming her for Danny's actions as well.

"She deserves exactly what she gets for sleeping around on me with that little shit" Kevin growled, the hatred he had towards Lindsay apparent in his voice.

"Excuse me?!" Don Flack coughed out the question in shock.

"You heard me." Kevin snorted. "She cheated on me with that glorified little gangster and then dumped me so they could be together. Said she was tired of the way I treated her. The way she said it, you'd think she had a problem with getting hit. I'd think she'd be used to it by now." Kevin explained, his eyes cold and focused on a spot on the wall in front of him.

"So, you've beat her up before?" Stella questioned calmly as Don turned a shade of scarlet red and balled up his fists in order to keep from strangling Kevin with his I.V. line right then and there.

"Well, I wouldn't call it 'beat her up', per se." Kevin began to explain cockily, before he was interrupted by Detective Flack, who was clearly on the brink of losing control.

"What would you call it then, 'per se'?!" Flack shouted angrily as he got no more than two inches away from Kevin's face.

"I was simply teaching her why it's a bad idea to be such a slut." Kevin said a sickening, sadistic grin on his face.

As soon as the word 'slut' left his mouth, Kevin knew he'd made a mistake. Don turned and even darker shade of red as he grabbed Kevin by his hospital gown and lifted him half way off the bed.

"Why you no good bastard!" he yelled tightening his grip on the gown as Kevin grimaced in the pain that was shooting down his leg.

"Don!" Stella yelled, to get the attention of her partner, before he was charged with police brutality.

Flack looked over at Stella and with one final curse, threw Kevin back down on the bed and stepped away.

"You should be glad Detective Messer wasn't here to hear you say that. He would have killed you on the spot." Stella told a still painfully wincing Kevin.

"Yeah, I'm sure he's making her feel better about now." Kevin quipped, in reference to where Danny was at and who with.

"Why you little..." Flack said as he began to advance on Kevin again, but stopped when the other man spoke.

"I should charge you with police brutality for this!" he threatened. "I have witnesses. She saw the whole thing!" He said, pointing to Stella.

"I saw nothing that would be called police brutality go on. We're just here interrogating you about what you did to our friend and colleague and you became unruly and required us to subdue you, in order to get the rest of your statement for our investigation." Stella said with a knowing smile that it was the word of two officers against a thug with a criminal record.

"We'll be in touch." Don growled before he guided Stella out the door of the hospital room. "Come on. We need to go tell Danny and Lindsay about this and see if she's willing to press charges." He finished as soon as the door closed behind the two cops.

"Hey Dan!" Lindsay called to her personal protector who was in the living room.

"Yeah? You okay?" Danny called back; ready to get up if she said no.

"I'm fine. I was just wondering if you wanted breakfast yet." She replied.

"Why Montana, you offering to cook for me?" Danny asked a hint of teasing in his voice as he wandered into the kitchen to see what she was doing.

"Well Detective, it's the least I can do in exchange for you keeping my couch warm last night." She teased back.

"You're cute Montana." Danny laughed as took her hand in his and began to play with the dainty fingers of her right hand.

"What can I say? It's a God given talent. I can't help it." She said, blushing at the warmth of his hand on hers.

"Everything about you is God given. What's for breakfast?" Danny said with a charming smile and he squeezed her hand in a simple show of affection.

Lindsay shortly lost her ability to speak as his words sunk into her head, but the gentle squeeze of his hand on hers, brought her back to reality. She cleared her throat before she answered his question.

"Oh, um, Buttermilk Pancakes and sausage." She told him with a shy smile as her cheeks tinged pink.

"Sounds delicious. I'll be ready in a few minutes and I can help you out." Danny offered before he pushed himself off the counter to go get a shower.

Before turning around to head to the bathroom, Danny cupped Lindsay's cheek with his hand and pressed a firm kiss against her forehead.

"Have I told you how happy I am that you're okay?" Danny asked as he began to walk towards the bathroom.

Lindsay smiled and replied, "Breakfast will be ready in fifteen minutes. Hurry up and you can tell me again before we eat."

Danny smiled and disappeared from her line of sight into the bathroom.

Lindsay sighed contentedly, still feeling the velvety warmth of his lips on her skin. It was then that she decided she really did like Danny, a lot. In fact, she liked him so much that she would give a relationship with him a go; or at least she would try. Before her thinking got too deep into why she might not be able to be with him, she shook her head to clear her mind and set to the task of starting breakfast.

Just as she was setting the food out on the table, Lindsay's cell phone beeped in the living room. She ran in to get it and headed back into the kitchen as she looked at the caller I.D. display. It read, 'Stella Cell', so Lindsay clicked the talk button on her phone.

"Hey Stel. What's up?" She said, stifling a yawn as she spoke.

"You sound tired Linds. Rough night?" Stella asked her friend, shooting Flack a concerned look from across the table they sat at, at a local eatery.

"Yeah, a bit. Kept having dreams is all." Lindsay explained, hoping that she wouldn't be pressed to talk about them.

"I know how that goes. If you want to talk, I'm here." Was all Stella said, knowing that her young friend probably was not in the mood to be prodded into talking right now.

"Thanks Stella." Lindsay said genuinely grateful for not having to dance around questions she didn't want to answer. "So, what's up?" Lindsay asked, returning her attention back to the original reason her friend had called.

"Is Danny still there with you?" Stella asked, hoping he was.

"Yes he's here, and no, he's not trying to get in my pants." Lindsay replied, cutting off her next inevitable question before it even had a chance to leave her mouth.

"I'd hope not. You're still too bruised up to be having sex right now." Stella told her friend with a dramatic eye roll that only Don saw.

Lindsay's jaw dropped at what her friend had implied, but she quickly recovered and made her retort. "You're a regular laugh riot Stel."

"Hey, you started it." Stella replied feigning a look of innocence that made Flack laugh.

"Yeah, and now I just finished it. So, why is it so important that Danny is here with me right now?" Lindsay asked changing the subject again.

"Um, Don and I need to talk to you both. It's about Kevin." Stella told her, instantly nervous about the fragile woman's reaction to the name of her abuser.

"Oh god. Don't tell me Danny actually did kill him after all." Lindsay said, not being able to figure out why else they would need to talk to both of them about Kevin.

"No, Danny didn't kill him; but after he hears what Kevin said, he's probably going to want to have another go at him." Stella explained.

"Why, what did he say?" Lindsay asked, her voice a mix of curiosity and nervousness about this proposed meeting.

"You know what Linds? It would actually be better if we told you in person; with Danny there." Stella said, hoping she wouldn't have to answer any more questions.

"Uh, well, I guess we'll see you guys soon then." Lindsay replied, officially nervous at the insistence that Danny be with her when they talked.

"Yeah, about an hour or so." Stella told her.

"Okay, an hour then." Lindsay repeated and clicked off the phone, shock and fear over what she'd been through the previous two days creeping into that pit in her stomach again.

Trying her best to push down the familiar feelings of dread when it came to Kevin, Lindsay thought it would be best to go tell Danny that it was time to hurry up and eat before Stella and Flack arrived.

'Maybe I can convince him to distract me a bit as well'. She thought with a slight smile, before shaking that idea out of her head and hurrying out of the kitchen to go find him. As soon as Lindsay rounded the corner that led into the adjoining dining room, she collided with the wall of Danny's well-defined, muscled and bare, chest.

"So, Montana, where's the fire?" Danny asked with a chuckle as he smirked down at her and placed his hands on either side of her hips to study her after the collision.

In response to the collision, Lindsay's hands immediately went up and pressed themselves against Danny's bare chest. The heat radiating from the strong muscles beneath her small hands was like a shock of electricity to Lindsay's body. She sucked in a sharp breath and affixed her gaze on the bronzed and slightly damp skin only inches away from her.

"Montana? Hey, Monroe. Earth to Lindsay." Danny said when she didn't say anything to him for several minutes. Hearing him use her given name was enough to snap Lindsay out of the trance in which she had found herself unwittingly placed. Shakily, she drew in a sharp breath before studying herself enough to pull away from the delicious heat of his body. 'My how I'd like to get my hands on him', she shocked herself with the thought.

When what she had thought, processed itself into her conscious mind, Lindsay's hands immediately left his chest and flew to her mouth in order to catch the jaw that was rapidly plummeting towards the floor. Her already large doe eyes, turned into the size of flying saucers and her face flushed a magnificent shade of red that could give Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer a run for his money.

"You okay there, Linds?" Danny asked, clearly amused by her reaction to him in no shirt. 'Just wait til she sees me naked. That'll kill her'. Danny thought with a chuckle. 'Wait a minute. I don't want to sleep with her. Do I?' Danny thought as he realized where this was going in his head.

"Umm…I'm…ah…Stella….and...breakfast…" Lindsay stammered before Danny finally put her out of her misery, almost succeeding to act like a mature teenager for once instead of a thirteen year old.

"Ah, so Stella called just as breakfast was done and you were coming to tell me both?" Danny questioned, just as a responsible adult would. "But running into me half naked sent your sexual appetite for me into overdrive and totally made you forget anything but getting your hands on me?" Danny questioned with that oh-so-sexy cocky smirk that she loved and wanted to slap off his face at the same time.

"You're full of yourself you know that?" Lindsay shot back, clearly annoyed at his assumption of what she had been thinking, no matter how true the assumption was. She shot him one last glare over her shoulder, as she walked into the kitchen, Danny at her heels like an excited puppy.

"Oh don't worry, Montana. Soon enough you'll be full of me too." Danny quipped, knowing the sexual innuendo wasn't lost on her when she stopped in her tracks. He moved just enough to see the flush appear on her face, about at bright as he had ever seen it.

Lindsay composed herself enough to speak when she head Danny trying to chock back a laugh. "Grab a plate, shut up and eat would ya?" She snapped, not at all amused by his reading her thoughts and dirty jokes.

"Just what am I eating, Montana?" Danny questioned, waggling his brows when she turned to look at him, his determination to keep her on her toes until he tired of the game evident in his voice.

"Breakfast you filthy pig! Pancakes to be exact." Lindsay said, the shock in her voice coming through loud and clear.

"Oh yes, of course. What else could I possibly have been thinking of nibbling on? Silly me." Danny said as he blatantly gave her appearance and approving once over, and licking his lips whenever his eyes ran across something he clearly liked. For her part, Lindsay was obviously uncomfortable and fidgeted nervously under Danny's gaze. Seeing this, Danny decided that this was enough for one morning and decided to offer her an easy out, as he had become accustomed to doing when it came to Lindsay. "Okay, let's eat! This all looks great Linds!" He said, sitting at the table and pretending nothing had ever happened.

Lindsay sighed with relief when he focused on the food instead of her. Deciding that he was just being an asshole and messing with her like that, Lindsay took a seat across from him and began to put food on her plate.

Breakfast had gone by with just idle chitchat between the two. Over the course of twenty minutes, Danny learned that Lindsay's grandmother had made this exact pancake recipe every Sunday since Lindsay was five. He'd also learned that her grandma died when Lindsay was twelve. In addition, he found out that she was only twenty-seven years old and something pretty bad had happened when she was sixteen that contributed to her leaving Montana. The last thing he'd learned, before she shut down, was that her birthday was April 12th.

Deciding that it would be a good idea, Danny changed the subject from her past, to the present day events, although he wasn't sure they would be less painful to discuss.

"So, what are Stella and Flack coming over to talk about?" Danny asked, shifting the conversation to another avenue.

"Oh, Stella said they went to see Kevin this morning and he uh, he said some stuff." Lindsay told him, getting up from the table with her empty plate.

"What did he say?" Danny asked, following suit and putting his own dishes in the sink.

"She wouldn't say. She just told me that they needed to talk to us in person." Lindsay replied beginning to wash the dishes.

"Oh" was all Danny said before taking his cue from her and beginning to dry the dishes as she washed.

The doorbell buzzed and broke the companionable silence the pair kept in the kitchen. Lindsay went to answer it while Danny started a fresh pot of coffee. For some reason, he didn't think this was going to be a short visit; or an easy one.

Hearing Lindsay greet Stella and Flack, Danny wandered from the kitchen into the living room to see their colleagues. Once he walked into the room and stood next to Lindsay, Stella and Don, both gave the pair a calculating once over, as if they were appraising the size of their winnings at a racetrack.

One look at Danny without his shirt and his mussed up hair along with Lindsay standing next to him shirt wrinkled, mussed up hair and a flush to her face, and Stella could swear she and Don had interrupted a pair of young lovers getting ready to go at it on the dining room table.

"So, Dano, what…uh, happened to your shirt? I know you were wearing one last night?" Flack said a smirk on his face.

"I, uh...I took a shower this morning. People do that sorta thing ya know?" Danny replied smartly.

"Alone?" Stella asked, flashing Lindsay a devious smile.

"Of course he took a shower alone. I'm still to bruised up to be having sex, remember?" Lindsay shot back before she realized that she just gave them both more ammunition.

"So, you've thought about having sex…….with each other." Don drew out the statement with a cocky smile in Stella's direction.

"No we haven't thought about it. We're not even together for Christ's sake!" Danny blurted out, exasperated.

"From what I hear being together has never been a requirement for you to sleep with someone before." Lindsay quipped under her breath while examining her fingernails.

Hearing what the young woman said and seeing Danny's shocked expression with the bugged out eyes and dropped jaw as he stared at her were all Don and Stella needed to burst into fits of hysterical laughter, as Lindsay chuckled quietly, still not looking at Danny. After all, she knew him well enough to know that he could be knocked over with a feather right about now.

"I think you're medication is making you delusional, Monroe." Danny snarled still looking at her.

"If you ask me, you're both delusional." Stated Flack in between fits of laughter at what sweet little Lindsay Monroe had just reduced the smooth talking Danny Messer to.

"Are you two here for a reason?" Danny barked at the laughing hyenas that were posing as his friends right now.

"Why don't we sit down and talk about that?" Stella said as she slowly regained her composure and headed to the couch, followed by Flack, who was followed by a still snickering Lindsay; who was being followed by Danny.

Stella took a seat on the far end of the sofa with Don on the other end while Lindsay sat in the armchair next to the sofa and Danny perched himself onto the armrest of the armchair and casually draped his arm across the back and Lindsay's shoulders. From the point of view of the occupants of the couch, you'd think he did that all the time.

"Well, that looks like a cozy little arrangement" Flack said with a chuckle.

"Oh shut up already" Danny grumbled under his breath.

"So, you went and saw Kevin today and he said some stuff, right?" Lindsay questioned the pair on the couch.

"Yes we did. He denied doing anything and also insisted that you both be arrested immediately" Don told the pair, surprise registering on their faces.

"What?!" Danny practically yelled. "You've seen the bruises! You got her statement! How the hell could he deny doing anything?" He continued, calming down marginally when he felt Lindsay stiffen at his tone of voice. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell." He said softly to her as his fingers ran lightly over the back of her neck, under her hair out of the view of their guests.

"We know he's lying, Danny. What he wants us to do isn't going to hold any weight here. Getting his side of the story was just a formality." Stella said, trying to calm the young man down.

"Well, I can see him wanting me arrested, but why her? What did Lindsay do to him?" Danny asked.

Don shifted uncomfortably in his seat before answering the question. "Well, you see, that's the thing. According to Kevin, she showed you the bruises and she sent you there to beat him up." Don explained.

"He said I did w…what?" Lindsay questioned. "I didn't want Danny to see the bruises or beat Kevin up. I never wanted anyone to know what he did to me!" Lindsay said starting to cry at the memory.

"Shhh. It's okay. He's just full of hot air, Montana. Please don't cry." Danny leaned over and crooned in her ear, not particularly caring how intimate it looked to the other occupants of the room. Lindsay was his priority right now, and everyone else could just go to hell.

"B…b…but, I didn't want anyone to find out. I didn't tell anyone, I promise!" Lindsay stated, getting even more worked up.

"We know that Linds and that's what matters. We have the truth and the evidence on our side." Stella said softly.

"None of that matters! He's not gonna give a damn if the evidence shows what he did! To him, what he thinks I did is what matters, and that's what will get me killed!" Lindsay blurted out in one breath before she could censor herself.

"Get you killed? Did he threaten to kill you if anyone found out, kiddo?" Stella asked, fear for Lindsay's safety becoming paramount.

For her part, Lindsay just nodded in the affirmative, not making eye contact with the other three officers in the room.

It was then that Flack looked over and saw the angry flush on Danny's face and how his fingers. gripped the back of the chair so hard his knuckles were turning white. It also appeared the Lindsay could sense the tension in Danny's body as she was sitting rigid in her seat avoiding any physical contact with him.

"Uh, Danny, can I see you in the kitchen? It's important." Flack asked.

"Yeah, sure" Danny said, standing up and putting his hand on Lindsay's shoulder, causing her to jump before he spoke. "I'll be right back." He told her, his accent thick. Lindsay just looked up at him, her eyes red and puffy as she nodded slightly. Danny gave her his best reassuring smile before heading into the kitchen with the taller detective.

Before they went into the kitchen, Don looked back, flicking his gaze from Stella to Lindsay and back. Stella nodded in silent understanding letting the two men go before she moved closer to her young friend.

Once the men got into the kitchen, Danny finally let loose. "I can't believe that bastard threatened to kill her! Son of a bitch!" He seethed as he took four mugs out of the top cupboard. He handed off three mugs to Don to fill with coffee while he put a chamomile tea bag in the other and put some water in the teakettle to heat up.

Noticing the tall man's questioning gaze, Danny explained "Montana would probably be better off with tea instead of coffee right now. It'll help calm her down. As will this." He said as he opened a pill bottle on the counter and emptied one small white pill in his hand.

Don nodded in understanding when he saw that the pill was the Valium that Sheldon had told him the doctor at the hospital had given her.

"He called her a slut, Danny." Flack told his friend, deciding it was best to just say it instead of try and sugar coat such a horrible lie.

"He called her a what?!" Danny yelled in shock, startling the women in the living room with is outburst. "I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch!" Danny ranted.

"No you're not. You're going to stay right here with Lindsay and make sure she's okay. Mac, Stella and I will deal with Kevin, okay?" Don said in his most authoritative voice, hoping Danny would go for it.

"But he lied about her. He called her names and beat the hell out of her! How am I supposed to sit by and do nothing?" Danny questioned angrily as the water began to boil.

"You won't be doing 'nothing' Danny. You'll be doing the most important job of all, which is taking care of Lindsay and making sure, she gets through this. Everyone knows you care about her. Who else can we trust to make sure she's well taken care of?" Don slyly bribed, hoping that Danny would go for spending his time focusing solely on Lindsay.

Danny just nodded and picked up his mug of coffee as well as Lindsay's tea before heading back into the living room, leaving Don to grab the other two mugs and follow him.

Once back in the living room, he saw Stella hugging Lindsay. She was doing her best, playing the roll of big sister and trying to comfort the young woman as she could.

Don took his previous seat on the couch and with a final pat to Lindsay's knee, Stella returned to her spot. Danny handed Lindsay the mug of tea and the pill before he settled back down on the armrest, holding his mug with one hand and wrapping his other arm protectively around Lindsay's shoulders.

"Thanks" Lindsay said quietly as she took both items from him and swallowed down the pill with a sip of the tea.

Danny just smiled down at her reassuringly as he rubbed his fingers up and down her left arm.

"Okay, just one more thing to tend to here, and we'll be out of your hair Lindsay." Flack said, trying to sound professional while gently letting Lindsay know they were almost done.

"Alright. What else is there, Don?" She asked slowly, the tea and Valium starting to do their job already.

"We need to know if you're willing to press charges against Kevin sweetie." Stella answered.

"No" Lindsay stated her answer flatly.

"What?" Danny asked, not sure, he'd heard her right.

"I can't do it, Dan. He'll kill me!" she almost pleaded with him to understand and let the topic drop.

"Lindsay, I know this is hard, but you really need to press charges. We can probably get him on a charge of assaulting a police officer" Flack told her.

Lindsay just shook her head. "No. No. I…I…I can't. He'll leave me alone if I just let it drop." She stated, trying to convince herself it was true.

Sensing the hesitancy in her decision, Danny decided to seize the opportunity to pull her aside and find out what was really bothering her so badly. "Um, give us just a minute, will you?" He asked the other two detectives as he stood up and pulled Lindsay with him. Stella and Flack nodded, knowing that she would open up to Danny if they weren't in the room.

Once in the kitchen, Danny leaned against the counter and spoke to Lindsay softly. "What's up Montana? Why are you so convinced that Kevin will kill you if you press charges?" He asked as he reached his hand out and waited for her to grab hold of it. Once she did, he squeezed her tiny fingers reassuring her that it was safe to tell him.

"He told me he would. He said that no one would be able to protect me from him." She explained feeling tears welling up in her eyes again.

"See, now that's a damned lie." Danny stated getting a curious look from Lindsay. "I'll be there to protect you. I'm not letting him get anywhere near you now. I care too much to let you get hurt if I can prevent it." He told her as he tugged her forward until he could envelope her in his arms and against his chest in a protective embrace.

"But you shouldn't have to be with me every second. If I just don't press charges, maybe he'll go away after what you did to him and…" She began to ramble on before Danny cut her off, pressing a finger to her lips to silence her.

"I want to. Let me be here for you Lindsay. I'm not asking you to sign your entire life over to me, I just want to be here and take care of you. I don't expect you to make a promise or a commitment you aren't ready to keep. I only ask that you'll let me be here for you. Will you let me do that? Please?" Danny explained as he looked into her eyes, showing her that he was serious about this.

Lindsay nodded her head in agreement. "Okay" She told him.

"So does that mean you'll press charges and let me keep him away from you? Let me help you fight whatever demons it is you have in your past?" Danny asked.

"Yeah. I'll do it." She said, slightly calmer now.

"That's my girl" Danny said as he stared into her face. He couldn't help but think how beautiful she looked, even now, and how well she fit in his arms.

Before they could stop it, their lips inched closer and closer to each other until they met in a light, feathery kiss that only lasted a second or two. In that moment in time, Danny was able to run his fingers through Lindsay's hair and he knew this was the right thing to be doing. She pulled away first and smiled at him.

"You ready to go out there and do this, then?" Danny asked a smile on his own lips.

"Let's do this" Lindsay said, but hesitated when it came to leaving the kitchen and safety of Danny's arms. "You promise you'll be there? You won't leave?" She asked him.

"I'm right here for you. I'm not going anywhere unless you tell me to. Got it?" Danny said, hoping his point finally got across to her. He knew it had when she took his hand and walked back into the living room to give her answer again.

"I want to press charges against Kevin." Lindsay told a smiling Stella and Flack, who noticed the pair was still holding hands.

Minutes later, Stella, Flack, Danny and Lindsay stood at the front door saying their goodbyes.

"Okay, we're going to go back to the hospital and put Kevin under arrest. Danny, you stay here with Lindsay and we'll call Mac and give him an update and work out any particulars that we need to." Don explained, taking charge.

Stella hugged first Danny, then Lindsay as they walked out the door. "I'll call you this week Linds. We'll do lunch, okay?" Stella said, effectively telling Lindsay that people cared about her a great deal. After all, she was their family now.

"I'll look forward to it." Lindsay said, the first genuine smile Stella had seen all day, brightening the small woman's features.

Danny waved goodbye and closed and locked the door behind the pair as they made their way down the hall again.

"You getting sleepy, Montana?" Danny asked her, seeing that her eyes were beginning to slowly droop. "Come on, let's get you to bed." He said not waiting for her to answer him before he took her hand and led her to the bedroom.

_The dawn is breaking  
A light shining through  
You're barely waking  
And I'm tangled up in you  
Yeah_

Once she was situated comfortably, Danny pulled the covers over her shoulders and kissed her temple lightly as her eyes fluttered shut. "Sweet dreams, baby." He whispered as he stood up to go back into the living room. Before he exited the room, the sound of a sleepy voice, got his attention.

_I'm open, you're closed  
Where I follow, you'll go  
I worry I won't see your face  
Light up again_

"Danny?" Lindsay practically mumbled, although she was still awake.

_Even the best fall down sometimes  
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme  
Out of the doubt that fills my mind  
I somehow find  
You and I collide_

"What is it sweetie?" he asked making his way back to the bed.

_I'm quiet you know  
You make a frist impression  
I've found I'm scared to know I'm always on your mind_

"Lay with me?" came her simple, sleepy request. "Just til I fall asleep" She finished her thought as sleep came closer to her.

_Even the best fall down sometimes  
Even the stars refuse to shine  
Out of the back you fall in time  
I somehow find  
You and I collide_

Wordlessly, Danny pulled back the covers and slipped into bed next to her. He pulled her close to him, so that her back was pressed firmly against his warm chest, his arm wrapped protectively around her waist.

_Even the best fall down sometimes  
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme  
Out of the doubt that fills your mind  
You finally find  
You and I collide_

"Just sleep Lindsay. It's all gonna be okay. I promise. You'll see." Danny whispered against her honey colored curls and he let the scent of her shampoo lull him into a peaceful sleep.

_You finally find  
You and I collide  
You finally find  
You and I collide_

A/N: Okay, here is the long awaited update! Sorry it's taken so long! My life kinda got in the way a bit here, but I wanted to get this up for you all in time for Christmas! Enjoy and don't forget to R&R!

A/N 2: Extra brownie points go to the person who can tell me the name of the song and who it's by!

Okay, on to personals now!

DKM: You make an awesome beta chica! I've never had more fun writing a chapter with someone to proofread it for me! I hope this ending lives up to your expectations!

5t4c3y: I'm so glad you found this story! Thanks for the confidence booster! I hope you like this chapter too!

SallyJetson: Hopefully this begins to answer that age-old question for ya! I guess we'll just have to wait and see exactly what comes of this…if anything.

Simbagirl: Well, here's that update you've been so anxiously waiting on! Danny has quite the protective streak doesn't he?

To anyone else I missed: You all rock! I got so many reviews this time I can't possibly respond to them all personally, but rest assured I love all you guys! I'm telling y'all right now, my reviewers are the best EVER!


	5. I'll Stand By You

Ch 5 I'll Stand By You

Disclaimer: Still don't own it. Jerry B. didn't give it to me for Christmas. Thus, he still owns it. I miss all the D/L moments. Danny is still the epitome of sex. Any questions?

A/N: I am so, so, **SO** sorry this update has taken so long. I just had my second baby right after New Years. So yeah, priorities have shifted and updates will be slow now it seems. Plus, the lacks of D/L is making my plot bunny bitchy and not give me ideas as readily. Okay, that sums it up. Don't like it? Talk to my son. He is the boss, after all.

* * *

The smell of her shampoo was the second thing to tickle Danny's senses later that afternoon when he awoke from his much-needed slumber. The first thing had been the strange sound that reached his ears. And then he became aware of the warm body still cocooned in his warm embrace and snugly spooned against his body.

'_Mmm. This is nice.'_ He thought as he moved his face closer to her, until his nose was buried in her hair. Again, he heard the strange noise, only this time it was distinctly the whimper of the woman lying in his arms. However, still not being awake, Danny didn't realize what the noise was.

'_What the hell is…' _his thought, trailing off in midstream once it hit him what the sound was. "Lindsay!" he said fully awake and the alarm in his voice present as he sat up to look at the woman next to him. Obviously, she was having one hellacious nightmare, and all Danny could do was watch as she began to mumble and weep in her sleep.

"Lindsay" Danny said firmly, hoping that he would be able to rouse her from her dream. When that didn't work, he tried again, more forcefully to wake her up. "Lindsay!" he said loudly, hoping that would be enough to prompt her to wake up. Despite his best effort, Lindsay didn't rouse. Instead, she began to cry harder and talk in a more agitated tone, instead of mumbling.

_Flashback…_

"_You lie!" A fifteen-year old Lindsay said with a shriek of laughter at her high school friend Corrine Dobson, when she told Lindsay the story that Paul Dexter, the star quarter back on the high school football team and a senior, had asked the petite blonde freshman to the school's winter formal. _

"_I swear on my grandmother's grave! He asked me out!" Corrie replied and held her hand up in a scout's honor gesture, causing Lindsay to burst into a fit of hysterical laughter. _

_Just then, another friend of the two girls, Justine Whittaker, came over and sat her tall, lanky form into a chair that sat between Lindsay and Corrie. "What is Corrie lying about?" Justine asked, immediately ganging up with Lindsay as she brushed her long, black hair away from her face, showing off her beautiful Native American complexion and happy eyes._

"_Paul asked her out" Lindsay stated simply, getting a look intrigue from the sixteen-year-old girl._

"_You don't say?" Justine asked, and Lindsay nodded with a smile, knowing her friend was going to be taking this newest revelation somewhere. _

"_Well, it's about time he put us out of our misery and asked you out!" Justine exclaimed looking at Corrie, and laughing at the shocked expression on her face. "Oh come on! You've been pining after the poor boy since you were in 5th grade for crying out loud! Linds and I were ready to hold him at gunpoint and make him ask you out if he didn't make a move soon!" Justine finished with a laugh as she watched Corrie's jaw disconnect from her head and fall downwards towards the floor. _

_Just then, two other girls walked over to the group of chairs. One girl, Ashley James took the seat on Lindsay's right. Ashley looked very much like Lindsay. Both girls were the same height and had the same golden brown hair color. The only real differences in their appearance where that Ashley had straight hair that only reached her jaw and green eyes, while Lindsay had hair that fell to her shoulders in soft curls and large brown eyes. "What are we talking about?" Ashley asked happily, as she looked at the other three girls. "Corrie has a boyfriend" Lindsay sang with a teasing lilt. "Corrie has a what?" Sadie Baxter, a high school senior and so called "leader" of the five girls asked with disbelief as she plopped down on Corrie's left. What was supposed to be a meeting of the French club had turned into a good old-fashioned gossip session. _

_Before Justine could answer her friend, the door to the almost empty cafeteria flew open with a loud bang, and in walked a tall teenage boy. His short black hair was all mussed up, and his green eyes looked wild, as if he were on a mission to kill. He wore a military style jacket with matching camouflage pants, black boots and a black cable knit turtleneck sweater. He wore black leather gloves and pulled a Colt Double Action 9mm Pistol from the inside of his jacket as he scanned the room. _

_Seeing intense fear on the faces of the former object of his affection and her friends, Seth Howard smiled evilly before speaking. "I'm sorry to break up the party girls, but there is something I have to do" he said calmly before raising the gun at Ashley and pulling the trigger. The single bullet tore into Ashley's chest, causing her to fall at Lindsay's feet, a blood-curdling scream escaping the lips of the girl staring at the body in front of her. _

_End Flashback…_

Lindsay jerked awake, sweat pouring down her face and soaking her shirt as a horrified scream escaped her lungs. Taken aback by the reaction the small woman beside him was having to her nightmare, Danny sat there in stunned silence as Lindsay began to sob uncontrollably. It didn't take long for Danny's instincts to kick in and he gathered Lindsay in his arms, running the fingers of one hand through her damp hair, while his other hand rubbed soothing circles over her back. All the while, he rocked back and forth with her in his embrace and cajoled her to calm down.

"Shhh. Shhh. It's okay kiddo. I'm here. You're okay now." Danny whispered in her ear as she clung to his shoulders as if he were the only lifeline she had to the present and sobbed and mumbled into his chest.

"W...w...why me? H…h…he was mad at me. Why was I the only one to make it out alive?" Lindsay mumbled into his chest as she began to feel numb against the intense emotions of fear, grief, and most of all, guilt; that coursed through her veins.

"It was just a dream sweetie. You're okay and no one died." Danny assured her, thinking she was just having one of her job related bad dreams.

"No" Lindsay shook her head adamantly and pulled out of Danny's embrace. She twisted her hands in her lap, in preparation for the inevitable questions that would surely come from the man beside her.

"No?" Danny questioned her. "What do you mean no?"

"No. It wasn't a dream. It actually happened!" She told him with a sob.

Danny's eyes went wide when she said this with the realization that this dream could very well be about the dark secret that drove Lindsay to New York. If he wanted to find out what had happened to her, he knew he would have to play his cards just right. He would have to treat this as an interrogation. An interrogation of the most delicate suspect he had ever had. One he cared for more than words could express.

"Tell me about your dream." Danny stated more than asked as his fingertips soothingly started a delicate trail from her shoulders, down her arms, over the backs of her hands and fingers, finally lacing the fingers of his larger hands with the delicate ivory fingers of her smaller hands.

The movement was just enough to disarm Lindsay. "You don't want to know about it." She said; her eyes firmly fixed on the entanglement of the ten fingers in her lap. "No one wants to know about it." She finished her statement mournfully.

"Aww, baby, I do want to know. This is part of you Linds. It's your history. I want to know your life story. The good. The bad. The ugly. And the violent. I want to know what's made you who you are. And what drives you to be the best-damned CSI I've ever seen. Not to mention, the cutest." Danny finished his statement with a half grin, knowing little bits of flirtation in a serious situation with Lindsay tended to make her feel a little less in the spotlight.

Lindsay smiled at Danny's flirtatious attempt to get her to talk. She had no idea why this man cared about her so much, but she was beginning to be thankful that he did. And once the realization had been made that she wanted Danny to care about her, the carefully constructed granite wall around her heart; the one that she had spent the last dozen years reinforcing in order to keep people at arms length so they wouldn't be able to reach the essence that was actually Lindsay Danielle Monroe, slowly began to give way.

"It was horrible, Danny" Lindsay said softly as she began to let him into her world. "He killed Ashley first, and then Corrine, then it was Justine's turn and after her Sadie was killed." Lindsay started with the facts and took in a shaky breath to control her emotions as she told him the big piece of the puzzle. "And when the girls were dead and no one could get in his way, he came after me!" She finished almost screaming as the terror of the actual shooting washed over her once again.

Danny swore he felt he stomach drop and his blood run cold when she told him she'd witnessed a quadruple homicide. He hadn't even gotten all the details out of her yet, and already just the visual of a terrified Lindsay surrounded by the bodies and blood of her dead friends, knowing that she would certainly be next, made him want to vomit. Instead of giving into the bile that slowly crept up the back of his throat however, Danny swallowed hard and reached for a trembling Lindsay and pulled her against his chest firmly, and placing a hand on her head holding her to his shoulder.

Feeling the loving embrace of the arms that enveloped her, and the steel strength of the chest and shoulder she found herself pressed against, Lindsay decided it was safe. It was then that she finally let herself go. For the first time since the shootings twelve years ago, she cried. She cried for the friends she had lost. She cried for the connection with her cousin that had been so brutally severed by one angry man. She allowed herself to weep for being the object of that man's anger. And finally, she allowed herself to fully feel and release the pent up guilt and anger she had with herself for being the only one to survive. In Danny's arms, Lindsay found the solace she'd been seeking ever since that bitterly cold afternoon of December 21, 1994 in the cafeteria of Bozeman High School.

_OH, WHY YOU LOOK SO SAD?  
TEARS ARE IN YOUR EYES  
COME ON AND COME TO ME NOW  
DON'T BE ASHAMED TO CRY  
LET ME SEE YOU THROUGH   
'CAUSE I'VE SEEN THE DARK SIDE TOO  
WHEN THE NIGHT FALLS ON YOU  
YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO  
NOTHING YOU CONFESS  
COULD MAKE ME LOVE YOU LESS_

Once he felt Lindsay's arms wrap around his waist and her sobs increase in intensity, Danny knew she had finally found the release she'd been seeking after so many years. Even so, Danny hated to see Lindsay cry. And what made it worse was that he couldn't take away her pain, and he desperately wanted to do that. He wanted to absorb all the pain she'd experienced in her life along with any pain she might feel in the future just to see a smile brighten up her beautiful face.

_I'LL STAND BY YOU  
I'LL STAND BY YOU  
WON'T LET NOBODY HURT YOU   
I'LL STAND BY YOU_

Not being the best with comforting words, Danny allowed himself to do the only other thing that made sense to show evidence of his feelings for her. Gently, he placed a soft, affectionate kiss on the pulse point behind Lindsay's ear. At the feel of his warm lips on her skin, Lindsay shivered slightly and sighed, relaxing into his body.

_SO IF YOU'RE MAD, GET MAD  
DON'T HOLD IT ALL INSIDE  
COME ON AND TALK TO ME NOW  
HEY, WHAT YOU GOT TO HIDE?  
I GET ANGRY TOO   
WELL I'M A LOT LIKE YOU  
WHEN YOU'RE STANDING AT THE CROSSROADS  
AND DON'T KNOW WHICH PATH TO CHOOSE  
LET ME COME ALONG  
'CAUSE EVEN IF YOU'RE WRONG_

At her vocal reaction to his ministrations, Danny immediately felt his lower regions jump to attention. _'Down boy'_ he thought to himself as he slowly disentangled himself from the only woman he could ever imagine walking through hell for, just to be near her. As much as he wanted her, I mean, really, **_really_** wanted her, Danny knew that comfort sex wasn't what his Montana needed right now. So, he took her chin in his hand and lightly brushed his thumb over her bottom lip before leaning in and slowly kissing her.

_I'LL STAND BY YOU  
I'LL STAND BY YOU  
WON'T LET NOBODY HURT YOU   
I'LL STAND BY YOU  
TAKE ME IN, INTO YOUR DARKEST HOUR  
AND I'LL NEVER DESERT YOU  
I'LL STAND BY YOU_

"It's okay Lindsay. I'm here. You don't need to be afraid anymore." Danny spoke sincerely once he pulled back from the kiss and looked deep into the brown eyes that were moist with tears.

_AND WHEN...  
WHEN THE NIGHT FALLS ON YOU, BABY  
YOU'RE FEELING ALL ALONE  
YOU WON'T BE ON YOUR OWN_

Lindsay's large doe eyes searched his intently at his declaration. Danny always had a way about him to make her feel things she hadn't felt in, well, ever really.At least not to this intensity. She knew he meant it when he said she didn't need to be afraid anymore. Danny was with her, and he would help her fight her demons. All she had to do was ask. For that, she felt a deep affection for this man. And she could tell he had similar feelings for her. Just the thought of Danny feeling the same way about her as she did about him, made her smile brightly. But that smile faded quickly when she realized that if Danny was going to put so much effort into her, he deserved to know her, I mean _really_ get to know her. There were so many things about her that he didn't know and that she wanted him, her now significant other, to know. She didn't feel comfortable calling him her boyfriend yet, but she didn't just want to refer to him as her 'special friend' when she talked to people about him, especially those back in Montana.

_I'LL STAND BY YOU  
I'LL STAND BY YOU  
WON'T LET NOBODY HURT YOU_

Lindsay mentally went over the conversation she would surely have with her parents where Danny's name would inevitably come up. She had to find just the right wording to use. This was a delicate situation. Make the relationship sound too established and her mother might tell everyone back home that she was getting married. However, if she made things sound too informal, her dad might infer that his only daughter was adapting to the 'big city' way of life a little too well and as a result, had a friend with benefits. However, Jason, her big brother wasn't going to like Danny even if she introduced him as her husband.

_I'LL STAND BY YOU  
TAKE ME IN, INTO YOUR DARKEST HOUR  
AND I'LL NEVER DESERT YOU  
I'LL STAND BY YOU  
I'LL STAND BY YOU  
WON'T LET NOBODY HURT YOU  
I'LL STAND BY YOU  
WON'T LET NOBODY HURT YOU  
I'LL STAND BY YOU_

'_I could call them and tell them about Danny'_ Lindsay thought to herself as she allowed her eyes to drift from Danny's down to his deliciously warm mouth, sculpted chest, bulging biceps and finally coming to rest on his hands. Unconsciously, she laid her hands over his forearms, allowing herself to relish in the way his muscles tensed then relaxed under her gentle touch. With that thought filtering through her mind, Lindsay played with several scenarios of how the conversation would go.

"_Mama, Daddy, this is Danny Messer my boyfriend"_ her thoughts began with the most obvious word. _'No, he's not exactly my boyfriend.'_ Lindsay recanted, definitely not feeling comfortable defining him as that. So, next idea. _'Significant other, maybe? No, sounds to ambiguous.'_ She reasoned, and decided to try again. _"Jason, this is my companion, Danny Messer."_ Lindsay put that wording out of her mind, knowing Jason would deck Danny on the spot for having such a vague label in his younger sister's life. Being six years older than Lindsay, Jason was quite overprotective of her.

Getting lost in her thoughts about the dear sibling Lindsay hadn't seen since she moved to New York eighteen months ago, she chuckled remembering how Jason had reacted to her very first date. Lindsay was only thirteen when Scott Freeman had asked her to go to the town's Fourth of July celebration with him. She had excitedly rushed home that afternoon from her grandmother's house, where Lindsay routinely had lunch and kept the older woman company, once a week, and spent two hours with her cousin Ashley and mom Gayle, picking out her outfit and fussing over her hair. Her dad, Jerry Monroe had been busy tending to the horses when Scott arrived to pick her up, so Jason had taken it upon himself to make sure Scott knew he wasn't to try any funny business with Lindsay. Unfortunately, his way of doing so, was to tell the already nervous sixth grader that if he tried anything with Lindsay, he would have his next date with Jason's 12-guage shotgun.

After that, Scott had been too nervous to even put his arm around Lindsay's shoulders as they walked to the park, or even hold her hand as they sat on the blanket and watched the fireworks. She had been returned home, promptly at 10pm as her mother had instructed her, and she proceeded to lay into Jason for scaring off the first boy that had ever shown a real interest in the awkward teenage girl.

"Whatcha thinkin' about Montana?" Danny's question broke through her thoughts, and she blushed brightly, realizing that she'd been daydreaming for a good ten minutes.

"Oh, I was just thinking about my parents and brother. You know, what I'm going to tell them about you. And exactly what I'm gonna tell them you are to me." Lindsay said, her blush being replaced by a sweet smile as Danny flashed her that famous Messer grin.

"Well Montana, you could tell them I'm your boyfriend" Danny supplied easily.

"I don't know Cowboy. We only officially started to act on this…thing, we have today. Don't' you think it's a bit soon to pigeonhole us as an actual couple already?" Lindsay replied, knowing Danny wouldn't take offense at her hesitation of labeling their relationship so concretely this soon.

Danny placed his hands on her knees as he looked at the respective positions of their hands and chuckled. "Okay. I know what a risk it is for you to let me in Lindsay, so if you aren't comfortable with the boyfriend/girlfriend labels yet, we'll figure out something else to call each other" Danny replied sincerely. What he had with Lindsay was too important to risk messing up; and if labeling things too seriously this early might scare her off, Danny just wouldn't do it.

Danny knew that if Cindy, the last girl he actually called his girlfriend, had ever made this request of him, he would have bolted in half a second. Cindy couldn't technically be classified as a girlfriend in that sense of the word.With her, it was just sex with a label. He knew that, and he had a feeling she did too. He hadn't even bothered to learn much about her beyond her name, age, that she didn't have a boyfriend, no kids and no communicable diseases for him to possibly pass on to the next girl after he got bored with Cindy. Nope, what the two of them had wasn't personal at all. They operated on a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy. He didn't ask anything about her, and she didn't tell him anything.

"How about you call me your Cowboy and I can call you my High Society Girl?" Danny said teasing.

"Absolutely not!" Lindsay said with a laugh as she playfully slapped his chest.

"Owe, Montana! That hurt." Danny whined playfully.

"Oh it did not you big sissy!" Lindsay laughed at his childish behavior. After a moment of laughter, Lindsay fell silent. Then, with a mischievous glint in her eye and a matching smile on her lips, she spoke. "I've got it! How about I call you my whipped puppy and you can call me your owner?" She said, dissolving into a fit of giggles when she saw the horrified look on his face.

"Oh that's not funny! Do you know what people would think if you called me that at the lab?" Danny asked his voice incredulous, and his eyes narrowing on her.

"Stella would get a kick out of it!" Lindsay proclaimed happily, knowing she and her curly haired friend could rib Danny for days on end, just by her calling him that one time.

"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of. You and Stella have enough fun at my expense as it is. All I need to make my life as Stella's friend hell is for her to know my Montana is witty enough to peg me as her very own whipped puppy." Danny said with a roll of his eyes, a dramatic habit he'd picked up from watching Lindsay do it so often.

"How about this," Danny said, ready to suggest an actual solution to their dilemma. "Why not write home and just tell them you're seeing this really charming, sweet guy named Danny, and he's perfect in every way?" he finished, unable to not give himself an ego boost in some way.

Lindsay rolled her eyes and snorted before answering. "Well, it's not like all that is complete bullshit. I'm sure I can word that in a way that won't make me want to vomit at your shameless self promotion, Messer." She said, punctuating her sentence with a gagging sound.

"My Ma's gonna love you, you know that?" Danny said at the way she easily shot a hole in his inflated ego. "She's always said I need a woman that can take me down a peg or two.

"You think so?" Lindsay asked. For some reason, she really wanted Mrs. Messer to like her all of a sudden.

"I know so. She's always wanted me to meet a nice girl and tone it down." Danny explained, deciding it wasn't the right time to use the "M" word in reference to he and Lindsay.

"You think she would still consider me a nice girl even if she found out about my tattoo?" Lindsay asked, knowing he'd never pegged her for the type to get inked.

"You do not!" Danny challenged, sure, that Lindsay would never be the body art type.

"Uhuh" She responded back playfully, enjoying his obvious surprise at finding out that Lindsay Monroe did indeed have a not-so-studious side to her personality.

"Prove it" Danny said, defying her to show him the goods.

At his challenge, Lindsay just shrugged and leaned forward pulling up her shirt slightly so that Danny could get a look at the Celtic Memorial Cross she had on her back. The 3.5-inch tall tattoo was ornate; having a mossy green circle that looked as if the cross, of a darker shade of green had been delicately laid on top of it. The four edges of the cross were embellished in a fleur de lis inspired pattern with gothic trimming. In the center of the cross was the date "12-21-94".

Danny took his time gently tracing the lines of the tattoo with his index finger taking it all in. He knew from experience, that a tattoo this ornate had to have significant meaning to the person that chose to wear it.

As Danny's fingers delicately made contact with the sensitive skin of her back, Lindsay shivered involuntarily. If only this man knew, what his touch did to her senses. She closed her eyes, relishing in the gentle trail of warmth his large fingers left on her skin as he touched her. It was amazing, Lindsay thought. He could be so intimidating, and at times just plain scary, with the way, he dealt with suspects in an interrogation room. Yet, with her, she felt as if she was his most prized jewel, held close to his heart and adored by him, and him alone.

"Why that particular date?" Danny asked, letting her shirt fall back into place as he sat back to take in her facial expression.

Lindsay had to take a deep breath and regain her composure before she solemnly answered, "That's the date of the shooting. The day I lost three of my best friends, my cousin, my innocence and almost my life," refusing to make eye contact with Danny. "Getting the tattoo was the only thing I could do for them." She explained as tears sprang to her eyes again.

Danny felt a lump form in his throat. He wanted nothing more than to take Lindsay in his arms and hold her forever. He knew though, that if he did that, she would clam up on him and he could lose her to the memories of her past forever, and Danny didn't want to do that. So, he just rubbed her arms silently encouraging her to continue talking.

"His name was Seth Howard. I was fifteen at the time and he was 18 and a college student at Montana State." Lindsay began to explain to Danny. "We went out for a couple of months, but Seth wanted a more…intimate relationship, with me, than I was ready for at that time. He never forced me to do anything, but he made it no secret that he wasn't happy I wouldn't have sex with him. I had never been with a guy before, and I just had this feeling he wasn't the right one to share something so intimate with. So I broke it off after two months." She explained the last part quickly, seeing that Danny's blood was starting to boil at the idea that this bastard might have raped her to get what he wanted.

Danny was only mildly relieved that Lindsay had not been raped. His anger at her attempted murder was still at the front of his mind though. "So, you wouldn't put out and in retaliation he decided to shoot you and your friends?" Danny asked shocked at how that could make sense to any rational person.

"Pretty much" Lindsay told him. "It was the last day of school before winter break and us girls decided to have one final meeting of the French Club before we got busy with the holidays and didn't see each other for a couple weeks, save for me and my cousin Ashley. She and her parents lived in a stable house on the farm my parents own. He just burst into the cafeteria and started to shoot at us!" Lindsay said getting agitated at the memory of the attack.

"Linds, you don't have to…" Danny began to say when Lindsay pressed two fingers against his lips to silence his protest.

"I do." She told him. In understanding, Danny kissed the two fingers and grasped her hand in his, as she continued her voice shaky.

"He killed Ashley first, and then picked off the other three while I watched. When he was sure they were dead, he turned to me. I remember his eyes so clearly. There was no soul in those eyes Danny! He was on a mission, and I was the one he picked to suffer through it." Lindsay said, her voice cracking as tears finally leaked down her cheeks. "He pointed the gun at me, and I instinctively tried to get away. He shot me in the upper right arm, a through and through. I fell back against the wall and he spoke to me for the first time. He said, 'Look what you made me do Lindsay. I didn't want to kill your friends, but I have to get my point across somehow.' Then he shot me again, the bullet lodging above my right hip. I fell to the floor in agony. I couldn't even scream I was in so much pain Danny! He was going to kill me, and I couldn't even scream! And then I knew he was standing over me. I was on my stomach, but I could feel him standing over me. The stench of gunpowder was stronger than it had been, and then I heard it. He cocked the gun again and said, 'If only you would have let me have you. Let me make you mine, then I could let you live. But you denied me that right, so I deny you the right to live.' And then he pulled the trigger, sending a bullet into my back. The tattoo covers up the scar from the surgery to remove it." Lindsay finished her story and looked at Danny to gauge his reaction.

Seeing the shock, horror, anger, fear and finally, love, that washed over his face after she finished speaking, the dam that held Lindsay together long enough to get her story out, broke into a thousand pieces. She fell against Danny's chest and sobbed hysterically.

Not knowing how to make this better for Lindsay, Danny wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and pressed a kiss into her hair as he spoke softly. "What can I do, Lindsay?" He asked, hoping she would be able to tell him how to make her pain more bearable.

"J…j…just hold me." Was the only thing she said as she wrapped her arms around his waist and laid back on the bed, pulling him down beside her and wrapping her body around his, her face buried in his chest as she sobbed freely.

He lay there beside Lindsay just holding her as she cried, hoping that his presence, his hand rubbing her back soothingly, his voice softly speaking the Italian words his mother once spoke to calm him when he was a child, would be enough comfort to heal her scarred heart... at least for today.He could worry about healing her heart for the countless tomorrows that lie ahead of the two of them, as they came.

* * *

A/N Yes my faithful followers; I indeed write an uber amount of angst here! Don't worry though the next chapter will be a bit fluffier. My plot bunny, Consuela, just had to torture me first with this chapter. Given what we know about Lindsay's tragic past, she insisted I run with it. Don't ya hate plot bunnies being a bitch? I do. As I said earlier, sorry this took so long, but I did have a baby on 1/4/07 after all. Now, given the fact that I managed to give birth to an entire human being AND post a new chapter ALL IN THE SAME MONTH, I think you REALLY want to review me now! Am I right? Am I? Am I?? Huh? Huh??

A/N # 2: I originally started this story to be about what happens when Lindsay is beaten by her boyfriend and starts a relationship Danny, after he's the one that is there for her, when she deals with that, and now tells him about her past. Problem is, now that this is out there, I don't know how much Kevin I want in this story now. He was gonna be a big pain in Lindsay's ass. However, now, I am contemplating him not stalking her, and going to jail instead. If I do that, I'll focus more on how Lindsay's dark secret affects her and Danny. If I just go with my plot of stalking and all that he does to Lindsay, I'll focus less on Bozeman. So, what do y'all think? Write Kevin off and weave my idea for what will happen if I keep the shooting in the story more completely, or, keep Kevin and focus on that defunct relationship and less on Bozeman? So, tell me what y'all would like to see in regards to this and I'll see what I can do to please the masses!!

DKM: You rock chica! Thank you so much for all the help you've given me with this chapter the past few days! Without you, I don't think it would be what it is now! You're a real lifesaver in a difficult chapter to write! Thanks!

To my Reviewers: There are too many to thank on here, but I did my best to thank you all in PM. I hope I got all of you! If not, thanks! You guys rock!!

Oh yeah, who can tell me the artist/title of the song in the chapter?


	6. I Need You To Hold Me

Ch 6 I Need You To Hold Me

Disclaimer: By reading this story, you are agreeing that:

1) I am by definition the poor fool resigned to only writing fan fiction.

2) Furthermore, that means I don't own CSI: NY or Danny and Lindsay, because if I did, those two would have jumped each other's bones long ago. That being the case, I am just doing this for fun. Fun as I see fit. Fun that's free. No profit is being gained here people.

3) That also being the case, I reserve the right to be bitter about Jerry Bruckheimer and Anthony Zuiker keeping my ship docked for so long and not giving me anything for WEEKS at a time to make my shipper heart happy and causing my muse, Consuela, to seek out the professional psychiatric help she so desperately needs as a result.

4) I reserve the right to fetishize Danny Messer in my fantasy world as it lends itself to the plot of my story, dirty thoughts/jokes that I may or may not share with you, if asked nicely, or just for the hell of it.

5) The contents of this story, dirty thoughts in my head, voices only I can hear and my muse, certify that Danny Messer is the God of eye sex, tongue porn, and all things sexual either real or imagined. DON'T RUIN IT FOR ME PEOPLE!

6) This concludes my psychotic rant and now on with the story.

* * *

Danny and Lindsay had stayed in the bed for the rest of the day. Neither of them had gotten a decent night's sleep the night before, and Lindsay was utterly exhausted from the emotions that came with telling Danny about her past. As they lay there, Danny gingerly rubbed Lindsay's back to wake her up. She hadn't eaten anything since that morning, and he hoped he could coax her into at least eating some eggs and toast, and then he'd see if maybe he could convince her to snuggle on the couch with him and watch the 49'ers game he knew was going to be on soon.

"Hey. Come on sleeping beauty, time to rise and shine," he crooned in her ear gently.

"Hmph," was the only response Lindsay gave as she snuggled in closer to the warmth his body provided.

Danny was tempted to just pull the blankets further up and snuggle down with her, just forgetting that there was a world out there and things to do. All he and Lindsay had was that night to be together. His shift started at 8am the next morning, and he wanted to spend as much time being with her and getting to know her before a grueling eight hour work day came knocking. As much as Danny wanted to sit there with Lindsay in his arms on the couch and discover the things she liked, and the things she didn't like both physically and emotionally, he had things to do first. He was on a mission to get her out of bed and make sure she got some nourishment in her.

Then they could take the rest of the night to get to know each other. Sure, they wouldn't be having sex this night, and Danny knew that. But for some reason, that didn't matter so much to him anymore. He was more interested in getting to know his Montana as his girl, not some meaningless fuck buddy only there for pleasure. Danny found that he desperately wanted to get to know things about her that he had never bothered to ask of any other woman. He wanted to know everything a man should about his girlfriend. With that thought in mind, he knew he had to wake her up.

"Sweetie?" Danny said softly as he stroked her hair softly, the loving gesture gently rousing Lindsay from her deep sleep until she opened her eyes and blinked up at him, trying to clear the cobwebs from her brain.

"Hmmm?" was all she managed to get out as her mind tried to gear up enough to speak in sentences.

"Hey" Danny said, speaking softly. "How ya doin'?" he asked, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Tired," Lindsay mumbled, lifting her head and placing a slight kiss on his jaw before lying back down on the pillow again.

"We need to get up," Danny told her, kissing her cheek.

"Why? I'm comfortable right here," she said flirtatiously as she slowly ran her hand up Danny's muscled stomach, over his washboard abs, and coming to rest on his prickly jaw.

Danny groaned inwardly and fought back the urge to grab her and kiss her senseless. She was teasing him and she knew it. And from the impish grin on her face, she was enjoying teasing him as well. Well, Danny Messer wasn't one to let a little country girl get the best of him, so he played along with her little game, hoping he could keep himself from going where he didn't want to go at this time.

Taking her hand off is stubbly jaw, Danny took lithe her fingers and tentatively kissed each one, playfully nipping the sensitive fingertips. Then he allowed his lips to travel from the tip of her middle finger, down her palm, and stopped at the pulse point on her wrist. This entire time, Danny kept his azure blue eyes intensely locked on the coffee brown of hers. During this highly arousing trek, Danny's lips were parted just enough that Lindsay could barely feel the tip of his tongue on her skin.

Once he reached the pulse point of her wrist, Danny allowed himself to arouse the woman before him a bit further. He started by placing an opened mouth kiss on her wrist, then pulling away and blowing lightly on the exposed skin.

Feeling the cool air gently come across the area of flesh Danny had just kissed, Lindsay gasped lightly as shivers ran down her spine.

Once he felt her shiver, Danny knew his job was done. He had the upper hand now and was sure he could convince her to do whatever he wanted in return for a little reward. It was a game of reciprocation really. If she got out of bed and ate a little something, he would continue his loving actions. If she didn't comply with his request, well, he knew she would comply.

"Okay, I think we've taken that far enough for now," Danny said nonchalantly as he sat up and looked down at her for a reaction.

Lindsay was dumbfounded. He'd just been playing with her. This was some sort of game, she concluded. _'Well, if he wants to play dirty, then I guess it's only fair to make it a game for two'_, she mused before saying anything to him.

"You really don't want me. I knew it. Danny Messer, just another notch in the bedpost of Lindsay Monroe. This happens all the time. Although, I'm not sure you could be considered a notch seeing that we didn't even make out properly. A splinter, maybe, but a notch? No," Lindsay said, shaking her head in dismay, and trying her damnedest to school her face to be impassive and her voice flat.

Danny stared at Lindsay in shock. _'She did NOT just call me a notch in HER bedpost.' _It was then that he noticed the look on her face. A grin tugged at the corners of her mouth at the expression on his face and her shoulders shook slightly as she laughed to herself. He obviously hadn't been expecting her to say that, and she knew as much.

"Alright, Miss Sweet Little Country Girl. Two can play at that game," Danny responded, a hint of teasing in his voice, but a look of complete lust in his now cobalt blue, eyes. Before Lindsay could even think of a smart comeback, Danny's lips came crashing down on hers.

The intensity of the kiss took Lindsay completely by surprise. She stiffened for a brief moment before returning the kiss with all the lust and passion she had kept pent up for almost two years. When Danny felt her return his kiss with an equal amount of need and passion, he knew it was over. _'So much for not letting her have the upper hand,'_ Danny thought when he felt Lindsay part her lips slightly against his mouth. Tentatively, Danny licked her bottom lip, eliciting a moan of pleasure from Lindsay. That single noise was all the permission he needed to slip his tongue into her mouth and twist with hers.

"_God, he's a great kisser,"_ Lindsay thought to herself as she allowed her left hand to travel up and run her fingers through his short hair as her other hand wrapped around his waist allowing her to run her fingers up and down the warm, naked skin of his back. She started at the base of his spine, then with her fingernails scratched up the nape of his neck and back down again.

Feeling her nails on his skin almost sent Danny spiraling out of control. He felt his arousal building up in his pants and knew that if they didn't stop this very soon, either he would be trying to hide the embarrassing evidence of the extreme effect her kisses had on him, or he'd be taking her, at that moment, with no formalities.

Letting his ego take over momentarily, Danny wanted to leave at least one mark on her to show the world that this wonderful woman had chosen him, and she was not to be messed with, or there would be consequences. Danny pulled away from her mouth, causing a whimper of protest to escape her lips. Trailing kisses down her throat, Danny smiled at the sound and mumbled against her skin, "Don't worry baby. I'm not done with you yet." With those words, Danny sucked and nipped at the sensitive skin at the hollow of her throat. Having been rolled onto her back so that Danny's weight was partially on top of her, Lindsay moaned his name and arched up, giving him better access to her neck.

Knowing that she wanted more, Danny tangled one of his strong hands firmly in her sleep-tousled hair as his right hand traveled down her side, easily tickling her ribs and even brushing his fingers along the side of her breast lightly.

"Danny," Lindsay gasped as her breath caught in her throat and her nails scratched down his back, leaving her own mark on his body.

Hearing his name and feeling her body's reaction to his fingers, reminded Danny of that spot behind her ear. It was the one that definitely aroused her when he kissed it. He decided for the finale in this round of lustful kissing, he should finish off by teasing that very sensitive spot. Danny's lips traveled to her ear where he brushed the hair away from her neck and his intended target. Deftly, Danny began to kiss and suck that spot behind her ear, effectively leaving another hickey for her to discover later on. "Oh God, Danny," she gasped as bolts of electricity made their way from where his mouth met her skin all the way down to her toes, only stopping long enough to deposit moist heat between her legs before continuing downward.

Hearing her gasp with increased arousal, Danny knew it was very possible that he could bring her to orgasm just by teasing her with his lips, and he didn't want to do that… at least not yet. So, he moved his lips to her ear and whispered, "Do you like that, Lindsay?" the dominance in his voice present. Lindsay could feel the smile on his lips as they brushed against her ear.

"Mmhmm," she groaned deeply, hoping he'd continue his sweet torture on her body.

"What was that? I don't think I heard you, baby," he whispered in her ear huskily, his Staten Island accent thick with arousal. When she didn't answer him after a couple seconds, Danny's tongue slipped out of his mouth and the tip of it traced the shell of her ear, causing her to finally answer his question.

"Yes. I-I like it! Oooh!" she shrieked with pleasure at his oral ministrations. Danny had found her biggest point of arousal and he was playing her body as a classical musician expertly played a violin.

Danny grinned a mischievous smirk when he rolled to his side and propped himself up on his elbow and took in the look of disappointment on her face.

"Danny," Lindsay practically whined as she looked up at him.

Danny chuckled before speaking. "As cute as the whining is, Montana, I think we've tortured ourselves enough for now. Besides, you still need to eat something," he told her as he lovingly ran his fingers through her hair.

'_He calls this torture? In that case, he can torture me anytime he wants,'_ Lindsay thought as she smiled at him sweetly. "So you just did that to set up a situation for bribery?" Lindsay queried as she sat up, crossing her arms over her chest and pretending to pout.

"I'm sorry baby, but you need to eat something!" Danny said laughing at her very convincing impression of a three-year old.

Lindsay couldn't help but laugh with him. His laugh was contagious. She pulled back the covers and got out of bed before she spoke. "I'd be more inclined to eat something if you had helped me work up an appetite beforehand, but that's okay. I see how it is," she said with a smirk.

Danny knew she was baiting him for some reason, and he was sure it was going to be worth playing along to hear what unpredictable, funny thing his Montana was going to say next. If Danny had learned one thing about Lindsay Monroe since she'd started working at the New York Crime Lab, it was that she had a surprising sense of humor. To many, she came across as the shy, studious, country girl, but he knew better. Danny and his friend Don Flack were probably two of the few people that actually knew Lindsay Monroe was every bit the smart ass as the two of them were. But Danny was the only one who knew she could say the most outrageous things with an attitude of complete seriousness, and that made whatever she was saying all the funnier.

"And just how is it, Miss Monroe?" Danny asked her as he also climbed out of the bed and stood in front of her, muscled arms crossed over his bare chest in a stance he knew scared the hell out of many suspects he interrogated, but never made the petite beauty flinch with an ounce of trepidation.

Lindsay looked at her shirtless cowboy and the stance he was in and chuckled inwardly. _'This is gonna be great,'_ she thought, her response already formulated in her head. "I totally understand your need to distract me with the fact that I haven't eaten in twelve hours, Danny. It's only natural that a city boy like you would be concerned about not being able to measure up to the high standards of sex we country girls have come to expect," she explained with a nonjudgmental look on her face and a tone of understanding in her voice. _'Wow, I can't believe I was able to question the sexual abilities of Danny Messer with a straight face! Stella's gonna die when I tell her this!' _Lindsay mused as she waited patiently for his comeback.

Danny's face immediately when slack jawed when she gave her reasoning. "Are you telling **me**, of all people, that I don't know how to please a woman?" Danny gasped out in disbelief of what she just said.

'_God, I hope Flack never finds out Lindsay has the balls to say something like that to me. I'll never hear the end of it, if he does,'_ Danny thought of the fact that his best friend would never let him live down such an accusation if the right person were to tell him about this conversation.

"Oh, don't be silly, Daniel," Lindsay giggled as she reached out and brushed her fingertips over his muscled forearm. "I'm just saying that country girls have higher expectations than city girls, and most city guys don't know the tricks we do," Lindsay explained, grinning at the look on his face when she said 'tricks'.

"Are you challenging me, Monroe?" Danny asked, using the same tone he did whenever they geared up for a competition in the lab.

"Maybe," came Lindsay's simple reply.

"You're on," Danny told her, and with that, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to his chest firmly as he pressed his lips against hers. He pulled away from her lips and moved to her ear, barely touching the sensitive skin with his lips as he whispered, "But first, why don't you go take a hot shower and change into something warm while I make us something to eat. It's gonna be chilly tonight and I don't need you getting sick on my watch." Danny pulled away to look at her face.

Lindsay shuddered when Danny's warm breath and lips fanned across her ear as he spoke. God how she loved the feel of those lips on hers and the sound of his voice in her ear.

"You sure you don't want to join me, Cowboy?" she asked, gesturing towards her bathroom. "You know, to make sure the water isn't too hot and I'm appropriately warmed up afterwards?" she added, cocking an eyebrow at him.

Danny didn't even bother to hold back the lustful groan the images of being in a steamy shower with a naked Lindsay conjured up in his mind. "Um, ya know what? I think it's just…safer… if I stick to the food and stay as far away from you in a shower," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck, a sure sign that she'd ruffled his feathers.

"Alright, but you just missed the opportunity to see me naked and wash my back," Lindsay tossed over her shoulder as she headed towards the bathroom.

"Don't teas me, Lindsay," Danny said, shaking a finger at her in mock sternness.

"But it's so much fun!" she laughed as she turned on the shower to let the water get hot, before turning her attention back to him. "I'll be out in ten minutes," she said before closing the bathroom door and leaving Danny to concentrate on making dinner with visions of a wet, naked Lindsay dancing in his head.

"She's gonna tease me to death," Danny said as he stared at the bathroom door for another minute, imagining Lindsay stripping naked, before shaking himself out of his thoughts and heading into the kitchen to see what he could come up with for dinner.

Exactly ten minutes later, Danny turned from plating the hash-browned potatoes alongside the scrambled eggs and toast he'd made for their dinner to see Lindsay lazily leaning against the archway into the kitchen.

'_God she's beautiful,'_ Danny thought as he let an approving gaze slide over her petite body as he took in her appearance. She stood before him casually as Danny longingly looked her over from top to bottom. Her hair had been towel dried and her loose curls allowed to fall around her face. Next, he took in the shirt she was wearing. This night she'd chosen a long sleeved, yellow Henley that comfortably hugged her breasts where the garnet 49'ers logo came to rest across her chest. _'Perfect breasts too. Dammit. Why does she have to be so perfect? Doesn't she know that kind of shirt only makes a horny Danny hornier? What am I thinking, of course she does,' _Danny thought as he allowed his gaze to travel lower to check out the well-sculpted muscles of her calves and thighs tucked into a pair of black velvet lounge pants with another 49'ers logo resting over her left hip.

The longer Danny stood there staring at her, the more Lindsay became nervous. _'Why is he staring at me like that? Has he changed his mind about me now that he knows everything I've been hiding?'_ were the thoughts that ran through Lindsay's head as she nervously twirled a damp curl around her finger, chewed on her lower lip and made a scuffing action at the linoleum under her bare feet as she avoided Danny's hungry gaze.

Trying her best to cover up her insecurities, Lindsay spoke, doing her best to keep the fear of his rejection out of her voice. "You like what you see, cowboy?" she asked him and looked him in the eye, hoping that her insecurities and fears weren't present in her innocent wide eyes.

_When I'm all alone at night  
I can hear the beating of your heart  
I should tell you and I might  
Before you tear me apart  
You're all I ever think about  
All I ever dream about  
Can you read my mind?  
Can you read my mind?_

Danny looked into Lindsay's coffee colored eyes and he could almost read her mind, thought for thought. He saw the insecurities that he could only assume had to do with him changing his mind about being with her now that he knew her terrible secret. Then he heard it in her voice when she spoke. She was afraid. Afraid of what though? Then it occurred to Danny that he had just been ogling her for several minutes. _'That must be it. She's afraid I'm gonna tell her 'thanks, but no thanks,'"_ Danny concluded as he looked at her luscious pink lips.

_Oh when I look at you  
I probably should go  
Cause I wanna be with you  
More than you'll ever know  
Hmm for a taste of you  
I could calm my desire  
Baby you blow my mind  
You light my fire, oh_

Danny licked his lips and quickly crossed the small kitchen to stand in front of her and pull her against his chest swiftly and firmly.

"Danny?" Lindsay breathed, leaving the rest of her question unspoken. He understood what that one word meant and that she needed an answer. She knew he understood that.

_I want you (yeah)  
Need you (yeah)  
Can't live without you_

Before she could form another coherent thought in her brain, Danny's lips came crashing onto hers in a powerful, passionate kiss. Briefly, Lindsay stiffened and parted her lips as she gasped from the shock of the intensity of his kiss. That moment of shock was all Danny needed to thrust his tongue into her mouth and begin a sparring match with hers. Lindsay sighed contentedly with the answering kiss and brought her hands up to wrap around his neck as her fingers lazily played with the short hairs at the nape of his neck; and she melted against his warm, muscled chest.

_When I'm all alone at night  
I can hear the beating of your heart  
I should tell you and I might  
Before you tear me apart  
You're all I ever think about  
All I ever dream about  
Can you read my mind?  
Can you read my mind?_

With his mouth still fused to hers, the handsome detective growled low in the back of his throat when he felt her warm, delicate fingers on the sensitive skin of his neck. Danny's left hand roughly tangled in her hair, tilting her head to allow his tongue to explore her further, while his right hand splayed between her shoulder blades, pressing her chest into his and bringing her as close as he could. Lindsay moaned her pleasure at his affections into his mouth as her left hand left his neck to rub sensually down his chest. The pair continued to kiss until they pulled away from each other simultaneously, gasping for air.

_Is it the way I feel?  
The curiosity or the things you do  
That brings out the lust in me  
The thought of me and you, drives me wild  
Come close to me  
Can you stay awhile?_

The couple stood frozen in place as their breathing settled back into a normal rhythm. Only then did Danny move his hands. He cupped her face in his palms as his forehead rested against hers and he grinned at her, that famous, cocky Messer grin. Not being able to help herself, Lindsay smiled back, thinking of how she loved to hate that grin.

_Hold you, need you  
Can't live without you_

"Does that answer your question?" Danny asked softly.

"Yeah… yeah. It does," Lindsay declared with an air of certainty.

_When I'm all alone at night  
I can hear the beating of your heart  
I should tell you and I might  
Before you tear me apart  
You're all I ever think about  
All I ever dream about  
Can you read my mind?  
Can you read my mind?_

"Good. Because I don't want you to think for one second, Lindsay Monroe, that what happened to you makes you a less lovable, sexy, desirable, sweet, incredible woman than I've always known you to be. You are an amazing woman and any man would be lucky to have you. It just so happens I am that lucky man and I thank whatever God it is that brought you into my life at the zoo that day," Danny told her firmly. "You think you can do that for me? Remember how special you are? And that you deserve this; us?" Danny finished, his voice softening with the intense emotion.

_When I'm all alone at night  
I can hear the beating of your heart  
I should tell you and I might  
Before you tear me apart  
You're all I ever think about  
All I ever dream about  
Can you read my mind?  
Can you read my mind?_

Lindsay smiled and choked back the happy tears she knew were threatening to spill down her cheeks at any second. "Yeah, I can do that. It's just going to take time. I've been through a lot, Danny, and trust doesn't come easy for me," Lindsay told him honestly, as her vision clouded with the tears she knew were going to fall very soon.

_Yeah  
Hold you, need you  
Can't live without you_

"I know it's hard for you to open yourself up and let others in, Montana. I just want you to understand that whenever you have doubts or fears about us, the way I feel about you, anything, I hope you'll come talk to me about it. Okay?" Danny finished, wiping away the tears that were now freely pouring down her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs.

_When I'm all alone at night  
I can hear the beating of your heart  
I should tell you and I might  
Before you tear me apart  
You're all I ever think about  
All I ever dream about  
Can you read my mind?  
Can you read my mind?_

Lindsay nodded as she spoke. "Okay, I'll try," she choked out through her tears.

Danny placed a soft, soothing kiss on her lips before drawing away and speaking. "Great, let's eat. I'm starving!" he declared, leading her to the counter and the plates of food. Lindsay just laughed as she let him lead her. This man marked a new chapter of her life. Danny Messer, her boyfriend; a detective that was always charming, honest and incredibly sexy.

An hour later, the food had been eaten, the dishes put in the sink to be tended to later, and Danny and Lindsay were on the couch ignoring the game on T.V. The position of their bodies was a provocative one that would easily lend itself to things getting carried away should either one of them take the initiative to start something. Danny lay on his back with one leg bent up at the knee resting along the back of the sofa, while his other leg was lazily flopped on the floor. Lindsay had crawled up between his legs and lay on her stomach, her head resting comfortably on his chest, and her hands resting on either side of his torso. Danny brought his legs to cross over her calves and his hands came to rest on her back.

"I have an idea," he said, kissing the top of her head and brushing a few strands of hair behind her ear. Danny had never thought about if a woman had beautiful ears before, but Lindsay definitely did, he decided. _'How corny of you, Messer,'_ he chided himself for such a mushy thought.

Lindsay sighed contentedly at the feel of his fingers lightly brushing her ear before answering. "What's your idea?" she asked softly, ready to agree to anything as long as he continued to touch her like that.

"Let's play a game," Danny stated simply and looked down at her for her answer.

Lindsay looked up at him with an impish grin on her face as she answered. "You know, that could be taken as a naughty proposition if the appropriately dirty minded person heard it, detective," Lindsay said, her face taking on an ever-so-innocent expression.

"You mean a dirty minded person such as yourself, Miss Monroe?" Danny teased back with a waggle of his eyebrows at her.

Lindsay laughed and playfully hit his chest. "You better hush your mouth and tell me what this game is you're thinking of before I decide to go to bed…alone," Lindsay slyly bribed, effectively getting Danny's mind back to his original point.

"Oh, so does this mean if I tell you the rules and we play this game, then I get to hold you all night?" Danny asked expectantly.

"Only if you promise to behave all night long," Lindsay said, not joking this time.

"I'm not going to make you do anything you aren't ready to do, Linds. I care too much to make you do anything that would make you feel uncomfortable. We're taking this at your pace, because the last thing I want is for you to feel forced or pressured into doing something you aren't ready to do. You're the one in charge here, Lindsay. If things move too fast, you just say the word and I'll back off. Okay?" Danny said, his voice soft and gentle. "I don't want to screw this up, Montana. You mean too much to me to just toss what we have and what we're building for just sex," Danny finished, his voice cracking with emotion, as he looked at the woman laying on his torso; pure adoration for her shining in his eyes.

"So if I say stop, then that's it? No questions asked?" Lindsay questioned, not quite sure that she'd heard him right. After all, this was Danny Messer. He was the lab's resident playboy. He wasn't used to women telling him to stop, and she couldn't quite believe that he was willing to let her say so, if she wanted.

"That's right, if something makes you uncomfortable, just tell me, Montana. I want us to do this right, and you being comfortable telling me things are part of that. Okay? So, do we have a deal?" Danny finished running his fingers through her hair and tilting her head to meet his eyes.

"We have a deal, Messer," Lindsay said and leaned up to his lips and kissed him gently, letting her lips linger on his for a few seconds before she pulled away and spoke. "So, what is this game you have in mind?" she asked, not as afraid of what he'd suggested, as she had been moments before.

"Well, it's a variation of twenty questions," Danny began to explain as he stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. "We take turns asking each other a question. Each person gets to pick ten questions, and the other person has to answer as much as they are comfortable. You get three pass options, so if a question makes you too uncomfortable, you can use one of your passes and get another question. Sound like a good idea?" he finished, hoping she'd go for it. There was so much Danny wanted to know about Lindsay and this kind of icebreaker seemed the perfect way to start to know those things.

"Okay. And since you came up with the idea, then it's only fair you ask the first question," Lindsay said with a smile as she placed a chaste kiss on his collarbone.

"Alright. Let me see. What do I want to know about Miss Montana here?" Danny said to himself as he contemplated a question to ask her that wouldn't be too personal, but would make her think about the answer a bit. Finally having thought of a good question that would require more than a yes or no answer, Danny asked his question. "What was the first thing that you found attractive about me?" he asked, hoping she'd answer the question he'd always wanted to know about instead of passing right off the bat.

Lindsay stared at him in quiet contemplation as she considered her answer. "Hmm. That's a tough one. If I had to pick the very first thing that I thought was attractive about you, it would have had to be that day at the zoo," she stated. Danny's eyebrows shot up in surprise as his face gave her a silent, 'really'. "The way you were bent over concentrating on collecting the evidence was so cute; I couldn't help but take notice," she finished her answer, seeing that he hadn't expected her to pick that particular day.

"And here I thought the impression I made on you that day was that I was a pain in the ass. Guess I was wrong," Danny mused as his fingers lightly traced patterns over her back.

"Oh, I thought you were a pain in the ass all right; but you asked what was the first thing that _attracted_ me about you, not what was the first thing that made me want to kick your ass," Lindsay jested, and chuckled when he lightly slapped her shoulder. "Okay, my turn to ask a question," she said as she thought about what to ask him now. "Do you think that physical attributes are more important to maintaining a relationship or do you think that friendship maintains a relationship?" she asked, deciding to give him a slightly meatier question than he'd given her.

Danny looked down at the little minx in his arms and smirked at her. "You're not beating around the bush here are ya Montana?" Danny asked teasingly.

"Well, you know, if you give the wrong answer here, it's better for me to find out I'm wasting my time now instead of in six months."

"You aren't wasting your time. I can promise you that," Danny said as he kissed her lips.

"Well prove it to me then and answer the question," Lindsay replied coyly.

Danny took a deep breath before he began to speak. "Until I met you, physical attributes were all I looked at. I never thought of those other women as relationships. See, to me, you need to have something besides the physical to have an actual relationship. And what we have here," Danny said pointing a finger between the two of them, "is more than just physical. We have a great friendship that has lasted through all the tests we've put it through. That's what makes a great relationship, Montana. Being good friends first and then good lovers," Danny finished sincerely, surprising her, and himself, with his honesty.

"You're really sweet Danny. You always know just how to say the right thing, and mean it," Lindsay said and cuddled into him more, bringing her arms up from his sides and draping them over his neck in a light hug.

"And I do mean it. Every word. I don't want you to doubt that for a second, Lindsay," he told her, tightening his arms around her waist.

"Okay, my turn," Danny said, after a couple minutes of companionable silence passed between the two. "What were you thinking about right before you kissed me for the first time?" he asked without hesitation.

Lindsay chuckled at the question and at her answer before saying anything. "Simple, really. I believe my exact thought was, 'holy cow I'm gonna kiss Danny Messer!'" she said smiling at his reaction.

Danny looked at her in surprise before responding. The country girl was usually such a deep thinker that he expected her to give him some deep philosophical answer; not one that he'd expect to hear from any other normal girl. "Well, let me respond to that by saying, holy cow I'm gonna kiss Lindsay Monroe," Danny said with a chuckle before his lips captured hers in a kiss that was lingering and sensual, not demanding, as one might expect from a man like him. After all, Danny had meant it when he said he was going to let Lindsay set the pace of their relationship.

Feeling her lips yield under his kiss, Danny's arms tightened around her waist and he effortlessly rolled onto his side, taking her with him. Lindsay's back was pressed against the back of the sofa and she let out a moan as Danny took her lower lip between his, and sucked her tongue into his mouth. Soon, Lindsay's tongue was wrestling with Danny's for dominance as two hot bodies pressed up against each other and their hands roamed freely, exploring where the other liked to be touched the most and where they didn't. Danny's left hand roamed sensually down Lindsay's back, starting at her shoulder and stopping at one of the firm rounds of her ass, cupping and squeezing it, as he pressed her hips more firmly against his. Danny's mouth made contact with the juncture of Lindsay's neck and shoulder, and began to suck; sure to leave a rather noticeable hickey when he was done feasting on her.

Lindsay felt a bulge in Danny's pants pressing into her thigh. As delicious as his kisses and caresses felt, she knew they needed to stop this before the two of them ended up doing something to relieve that bulge. While she was ready to give a relationship with Danny a go, she knew _that_ was something she was not ready to do. Knowing that Danny would stop anytime she asked him to, she spoke up.

"Uh, Danny?" Lindsay said, effectively grabbing his attention and causing his lips to come off her neck, as he met her eyes.

"What's the matter baby? You want me to stop?" Danny asked as he gently stroked her hair and looked directly into her eyes, his voice full of concern that she was feeling pressured into doing more than she was ready to do.

"Um, no. I don't _want_ you to stop, because I like being here with you like this. I really, REALLY like being like this with you. But we need to stop." Seeing the confusion on Danny's face at her half explanation, Lindsay took a deep breath to calm her hormones and interlaced the fingers of her right hand with those of his left, giving it a gentle squeeze before speaking. "Danny, if we don't stop, then it looks like a certain appendage of yours is going to want to come out and play too, and honestly, I'm just not ready to take that step with you." Stopping to let her words sink in, Lindsay decided to just tell him what else was on her mind, which caused her not to be ready, and hoped he'd understand.

"Since I've lived in New York, I've only been with two men. One, as you know, was Kevin, the other was a man named Brad. And well, Kevin wasn't ever the most gentle or caring lover, and Brad was just a guy I dated a couple of times, and one of those dates happened to be on a day I was feeling really homesick and he just served as a distraction from the homesickness. I don't want to use you as comfort sex Danny. And I don't want to be thinking of how rough Kevin was and how much he hurt me while I'm with you. I want us being together to just be about us, not about comfort sex. Does that make sense?" Lindsay told him, amazed that she was able to say all of that rationally, instead of just blurting it out, now she unconsciously held her breath while she waited for Danny to react.

Danny looked deep into Lindsay's eyes, letting all the love he felt for her shine through, and hoped that she could see it, so that his words wouldn't have the wrong effect on her, or them.

"Kevin never gave a damn whether you wanted it or not, or if he was hurting you, did he, Lindsay?" Danny asked her, his accent thickening with the brewing anger he had towards that low-life scumbag that essentially, had raped his Montana.

As the feelings of shame and guilt for not saying anything to him earlier began to fill Lindsay's already cluttered mind, she found herself not able to make eye contact with Danny. Compounding those emotions was the overwhelming feeling of being forever dirty that she had coursing through every fiber of her being. Realizing that she had yet to give Danny any answer, she just nodded, telling him that his statement was correct.

"He raped you. That worthless son of a bitch raped you!" Danny shouted angrily, wishing he'd known this the previous night when he went over to Kevin's apartment. If he'd known that Lindsay had been raped by that animal, Danny was certain he'd be sitting in jail on a murder charge; or attempted murder, at the very least.

Hearing the anger in Danny's voice as he yelled, coupled with the fact that he'd had stated that she had been raped when she couldn't find the strength to call it anything more than rough sex without permission, shook her to the very core, and Lindsay began to cry.

_"__È bambino giusto. Sono spiacente che ho urlato. Non ho significato spaventarlo. Non gridi prego."_ Danny whispered in that Italian language that he'd grown up to comprehend, and speak, as well, while he cocooned a sobbing and babbling Lindsay in his arms. As she cried, Danny whispered the same phrase repeatedly in her ear, telling her that he was sorry for yelling and scaring her, as well as urging her not to cry; all in his family's native language.

As Lindsay began to calm down and listened to Danny speak soothing words, in what she assumed was Italian, in her ear; what started out as her babbling began to make enough sense for him to understand what she was saying, and what he heard shocked him.

"I'm so sorry!" she sobbed as she clung to the wife beater he'd put on before dinner. "I should have told you earlier! Please don't be mad!" She continued to cry as she held on to Danny desperately hoping he wouldn't be mad at her for not telling him.

"What?" Danny asked in shock as he continued to hold her close and rub her back soothingly. "Why are you sorry? You have nothing in the world to be sorry about! I'm not mad at you Lindsay. I'm mad at Kevin. You're the victim here, babe. He hurt, and scared you, that's what makes me mad, not that you were afraid to tell me about it," Danny assured her; relieved to see that she had heard and believed him, as her sobs decreased and her grip on his shirt loosened so that her knuckles were no longer white.

"Maybe if I hadn't told him I didn't feel like it when he wanted to have sex, or if I hadn't said no when he threw me down on the couch and sat on me. If I had just relaxed and stopped fighting him, as he told me to, then he wouldn't have had to be so rough and hurt me. He didn't want to hurt me, he said he loved me, but I just wouldn't let him do what he wanted to do, so he had to hold me down and push into me so violently. He said that if I would just lay there, then it wouldn't hurt as badly; so that's what I did. I just laid there and let him do whatever he wanted to do to me Danny! And the things he did. The words he said, names he called me…I feel so dirty!" Lindsay rambled on, until the emotions were too much to handle and she dissolved into tears again.

Hearing her blame herself for this, tore at Danny's heart strings. Gingerly, Danny sat up on the sofa, allowing both his legs to hang over the edge of the cushion. As he sat up, he pulled a distraught Lindsay onto his lap and held her; letting her cry it out before he spoke his piece.

"Lindsay," Danny said, once she'd calmed down a bit and he felt he could get her attention. When she didn't respond to her name, Danny tried again with a bit more determination in his voice. "Look at me Lindsay," he said, cupping her chin with his hand, effectively forcing her burdened and tired looking brown eyes to meet the loving gaze of his cobalt blue eyes.

"It's not your fault. Do you understand that?" Danny asked, continuing to speak without waiting for her to respond to his question. After all, he knew the answer was that logically, yes, she knew this wasn't her fault, but on the emotional level she was the only person she had to blame for this. And that's what she did. He'd heard similar rationale from other rape victims. "I know you feel like blame needs to be put somewhere for this. And I suspect that since this happened to you, it's easier for you to blame yourself for what you didn't do to make him stop, make it hurt less, or what you could have done to avoid it in the first place," Danny said as his eyes never lost contact with hers and he continued to hold her chin gently in one of his large hands. "But, and I want you to listen to me good here, okay?" he said and waited for her to respond.

"Okay" Lindsay whispered and nodded that she was listening to what he was saying.

"But," he continued right where he left off, "this wasn't your fault. That bastard was hell bent on hurting you in one-way or another and no matter what you did or didn't do; he was going to do whatever he wanted. See, no matter what he told you, you could have done nothing to make things better; he lied to you sweetheart. The best thing you can do now though, is not to blame yourself. Put the blame where it belongs; with him. Nowhere else. Kevin is the one at fault here, not you Lindsay." Danny let out a shaky breath before continuing what he needed to tell her. "I hear you blame yourself for this, and it kills me inside to think that some man has made you feel so bad about yourself when you're a wonderful person. You're smart, sweet, a little sassy, and incredibly sexy. Don't let him take those things away from you, Linds. Hold on to that. What happened doesn't make you dirty, or worthless, or a whore or…whatever other horrible things he told you, okay? I would never lie to you Lindsay, so you can take everything I just said to the bank, okay?" Danny finished what he was saying, and let go of her chin in case she felt the need to look away from the intense emotions flowing between them.

Once Danny let go of her chin, Lindsay didn't feel the need to look away from him; to hide the emotions she was feeling, as she expected she would. Instead she wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered, "Okay," before laying her head in the crook of his neck and just enjoying his musky scent, the warmth and hardness of his chest pressed against her, and the safety of his harms as they wrapped around her back in a comforting hug that lasted several minutes, until Lindsay spoke once again.

"I'm really tired now," she said simply, knowing that Danny wouldn't hesitate to put her to bed. After all, he knew all the talking they'd done that day had taken an extreme emotional toll on her, and even if he wouldn't come out and say it, he was going to be keeping an extra close eye on her this week for signs of depression, and that would mean he'd only be spending as much time away from her as absolutely necessary for work.

Reaching over to the lamp, Danny flicked it off and next hit the off button on the remote as he wrapped one arm around Lindsay's back and the other came to rest under the bend of her knees as he placed a kiss on her forehead and stood up, saying, "Let's get to bed," and carried her into her bedroom so they could catch a few hours of sleep before Danny had to get up for work in the morning. He hoped Lindsay would spend his time at work resting, but knew that was highly doubtful. Being still seemed to be something she didn't do well for an extended period.

Once the couple was in bed, with Lindsay comfortably spooned up against Danny, did he find the courage to say what he'd wanted to say all day.

"Lindsay," he said quietly in case she'd dozed off.

"Huh?" came the reply as she turned around to look at him.

"Umm, I just wanted you to know that, Montana, I like you… a lot," Danny said with a smile using the words she'd spoken to him at one time.

Lindsay smiled and placed a chaste kiss on his lips before replying, "I like you too Danny… a lot." With that, she rolled back over and once again snuggled into his chest, his arm wrapped firmly around her waist, her right hand grasping his, as the two feel asleep.

With two mutual admissions of 'like', Danny and Lindsay knew that their relationship had just been set into motion, and it was only a matter of time until the rest of the team found out about them. The reactions would be varied, but overall, everyone would be happy for the two young CSI's that had finally found the love they both so desperately needed, and in the last person they expected to return it.

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A/N I finally finished this chapter! I'm so glad! I hope you all like this one as much as you seemed to the last one. I got such positive feedback from last chapter about the emotions, and I hope I wrote them as well this time too. I tried to reply personally to everyone that reviewed and I hope I got to everyone; if not, I sincerely thank you for your reviews! They mean a lot to me! I also want to thank those that are just reading and not reviewing. Even you guys are a huge help! And of course, a special shout out to my beta, DKM. You rock chica! Thanks for all your help on this chapter! You know how close to home the subject matter here hit with me and I thank you for encouraging me to stick with the emotions and write through them! Luv ya!

Okay, and now it's time for a game I like to call, 'Name that song/artist'. C'mon, what's the song? Who's the artist, I know that at least someone out there has to know this one!


	7. I'm Okay, Really

Ch 7 I'm Okay, Really

A/N: The show CSI: NY and the characters of the show belong to Jerry Bruckheimer, Anthony Zuiker and CBS, not me. I own this story and any characters that are not a part of the cast of CSI: NY. I trust that you can figure out who owns what from here; so don't go suing me for not claiming to own something that I don't. Got it? Good. That means that Felix, the invisible ninja cat that protects me from lawsuit happy people can stand down and retract his claws.

A/N 2: I was joking about Felix. Don't go calling the white coats from the Funny Farm to come get me. They might really take me away this time if you do. Ha ha! Ho ho! Hee hee.

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The room was brightening up as the soft orange glow cast shadows across the walls, chasing away the darkness that had inhabited the space for the past several hours and casting light on the occupants of the bed. In the bed lay Danny Messer, and in his arms was his sleeping girlfriend. Sometime during the night, Lindsay Monroe had shifted her position so that she was no longer spooned against Danny's strong chest. Now, Lindsay lay comfortably curled on her left side with her head resting on Danny's chest with one of her slender arms tucked between her body and the mattress, as her other arm rested on Danny's torso and her small had was balled into a slight fist resting by her cheek.

Danny had been awake for several minutes just watching Lindsay sleep. This was quickly becoming his favorite pastime with her. _'She looks so peaceful when she's sleeping.' _Danny thought as he watched her sleep with his arms protectively wrapped around her petite body. He reasoned that with everything, she'd been through in her short life, and the past couple of months in particular, she deserved to at least have her rest be peaceful. Even so, Danny desperately wanted to be the cause for her wakeful hours to be peaceful as well. He laid there and watched Lindsay sleep, a relaxed smile parting her beautiful, kissable lips just slightly. As she slept, Danny lovingly stroked her hair with his hand, causing a contented sigh to escape her lips as she snuggled into his muscled body closer.

Yes, it was official, Danny had a good life. _"You lucky son of a bitch. It doesn't get any better than this."_ He thought to himself just as the shrill beep of the alarm clock sounded, waking Lindsay with a start. Quickly, Danny reached over the bedside table and shut the alarm off before returning his hand to Lindsay's head, quickly tangling his fingers in her hair as he gently guided her head back to its resting spot on his chest.

"Whoa, a little jumpy this morning, aren't ya Montana?" He said half teasing, half-serious and placed a soft kiss on the top of her head.

"The alarm startled me." She explained, not wanting to tell him that it happened often. In her dreams, the beep of her alarm clock was eerily similar to the sirens of the patrol cars and ambulances that came to the scene of the shooting at her high school. "I'm okay Danny. Really." She said with a sleepy smile, doing her best to convince him that it was really no big deal when she saw that he wasn't exactly sure if he bought her story of the alarm just startling her.

"If you need me to stay here today…" Danny started, but was cut off by Lindsay before he could finish his sentence.

"Danny, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. It was nothing, really. I'm just used to my cell phone ringing to wake me up instead of an alarm clock going off is all." Lindsay explained with a smile as she placed a kiss on his lips.

"If you insist" Danny mumbled against her lips before letting himself get lost in the kiss.

"I" _kiss_ "do" _kiss_ "insist" _kiss_. Lindsay said each word between kisses.

Danny relished the silky feel of her soft lips against his slightly rougher ones. He positioned her body more firmly on top of him as his left hand tangled in her hair while his right hand ran over her back, feeling the muscles yield at his touch. Danny continued to caress her lips with his, finally sucking her tongue into his mouth where the pair fought for dominance in the kiss. This continued for quite awhile before Lindsay spoke.

"What time do you have to leave for work?" She asked once she found the strength to pull her lips from his.

"Seven-thirty." Danny answered simply, missing the contact he had with her mouth.

Lindsay, still laying on Danny's chest, looked over at the clock on the bedside table before speaking. "In that case, you have twenty minutes" she said with a smile and rolled off him and sat up to get out of bed and get him some breakfast he could eat on the subway into work.

"Hey, where do you think you're going? You should be resting today." Danny asked when she swung her legs over the side of the bed.

"I'm gonna get you some breakfast and coffee while you get ready for work" the pretty, brown-haired woman tossed over her shoulder.

Danny noticed that the bruising on Lindsay's face was starting to change from a blue, purple color, into more of a purplish/green color; a sure sign that it was getting better. Since she was sitting up, he took the opportunity to crawl up behind her on his knees and wrap his arms around her in a hug. When he pressed her back against his chest, he noticed that she still flinched, but not as badly as she had two days earlier.

"I'm sorry baby. I didn't mean to hurt you." Danny crooned into her ear when he felt her flinch in obvious discomfort. Before continuing with his task, he placed a lingering, open-mouthed kiss on the sensitive spot behind her ear, sort of as a means of lessening the pain in her back.

Danny pulled away from her and lifted the hem of her yellow shirt to take in the bruises on her back and assess how they were healing. It sickened him to see that her back was a painful mixture of blue, purple, green and, yellow shades. Just the knowledge that all the colors on her skin meant that there were several layers of bruises, made Danny grunt in frustration as he let her shirt fall back into place.

"What's the matter?" Lindsay asked, standing up and turning around to face him, after he had assessed the damage to her back.

Danny quickly stood up also before answering her question. "I was just looking at your back. It looks pretty bad."

"I know" Lindsay said softly. "I've gotten thrown into a lot of walls in two months." She said in a tone that was even softer; so soft that Danny could barely hear her.

"You got beaten pretty bad, huh? Bad and often." Danny half-asked, half stated what he already knew to be true.

Lindsay took a step backwards and wrapped her arms around her waist and blankly stared at a spot on the wall behind her very concerned boyfriend. Her body language served to wall herself off from the man in front of her. Why she felt the need to do that, she didn't quite understand; she just knew the need was there, so she did it. Logically, she knew that Danny would never hurt her. He cared too much and wanted to protect her from any source of pain she felt. But somewhere, in the depths of her mind, a voice spoke. _'They always want to protect you Lindsay. But eventually they realize you don't deserve it and they hurt you. Danny isn't any different. He'll do it too.'_ And she listened to that voice. She listened to it that day in the hallway at the precinct when she shot down a chance at a relationship with Danny. She listened to it when Kevin had started to abuse her. She even listened to it when her friends' mothers, and her beloved aunt, told her that if it weren't for her, there daughters would still be alive. If only she'd stayed away from them when she broke up with Seth, they're daughters would be alive and she would be the dead one. And as she started to cry at the memories that she associated with the voice, she listened to it and put space between her and the man that wanted to love and protect her, more than he wanted to breathe.

Danny noticed the far away look in his girlfriends eyes when she stepped away. He saw a decade of painful emotions and the corresponding painful memories that caused them cross her face in a matter of seconds. And then he saw the tears. He couldn't stand the tears. Someone as wonderful as Lindsay shouldn't have cause to cry such tears. But she did, and it pained Danny to know that the memories, emotions and people that caused them could not be erased from her mind by him. There wasn't a damned thing he could do to make this better for her, and it killed him. With every tear that feel from her chocolate eyes, down her cherubic cheeks and staining her creamy skin with red tracks; he felt a small part of his heart seize up until he was sure it had ceased to beat in relation to her pain. _'And I can't fix any of this. I can't erase one horrible memory, or the words of any uncaring people. She's dying inside, and I can't fucking fix it!' _Danny screamed internally, before realizing that there was only one thing in this entire damned situation he could do to calm her tears; so he did it.

In two long strides, he walked up to Lindsay and enfolded her up in his embrace, cocooning her against his chest, and spoke softly to her.

"It's okay. Let it out. I'm here. Go ahead and cry, baby. I won't leave you." And cry she did.

Five minutes later, she pulled away from the safety of his warm embrace; her tears spent and her eyes red and puffy as well as her nose.

Uncomfortable with having shown such weakness in front of Danny, yet again, Lindsay switched his focus when she finally spoke. "You're late for work." She said looking at the clock and realizing that he had five minutes before he had to leave. "You better get dressed and call Mac to let him know you're on your way. I'll find you something to eat on the way." She told him and readied herself to walk into the kitchen to make him a fast breakfast.

"Shit." Danny muttered looking at the clock and seeing that the time read 7:25am. "Looks like I'm gonna be driving in today." He told her. "No matter though. I had to take care of my baby girl first, that's what's most important, and now I'll take care of Mac." Danny said shooting Lindsay a smile and causing her to blush when he called her his baby girl. She knew guys just didn't do that to any woman they were with at the time.

"Okay. Hurry up though. I don't want you being any later than you already will be. Got it?" She told him as she padded out of the room.

"Yes ma'am!" Danny called after her as he shut the door and picked up his phone to call his boss while grabbing the clothes out of his emergency bag he kept in his car.

Fifteen minutes later, Danny walked into the kitchen showered and dressed in a pair of dark wash jeans, a maroon button down shirt, and black sport jacket. "Mac said that if you need me to stay here today…" Danny said, starting to relay the message from his boss before Lindsay cut him off in mid sentence.

"Danny, I'll be fine. I'm doing okay today. Really." Lindsay said, interrupting him. It's not that she didn't want to have Danny around all day, because really she did. It was that she didn't want anyone to be inconvenienced because she decided it was a nice day for a complete mental meltdown. Besides, she could handle this herself for one day. She'd done it for 12 years already, what could make that any different now?

"You sure about that? You didn't seem so okay twenty minutes ago." Danny said, still not sure, she would be okay by herself. "You know, Mac told me that Peyton is off today. I can call her and see if she'd stop by for awhile, and the two of you could watch those god awful chick flicks you love and eat a ton of junk food." Danny bribed, hoping that mentioning having one of her friends over for a chick flick fest wouldn't come off as if he was trying to hire a baby sitter. His hopes were quickly dashed.

"Danny, I don't need a baby sitter." Lindsay said the irritation clear in her voice.

"Don't think of it as a baby sitter. Peyton is your friend. She's as concerned as the rest of us sweetheart." He replied keeping his voice calm and even.

"I can take care of myself, Danny. I don't want to inconvenience the lab or interrupt anyone's life on their day off." She told him simply as she quickly assembled the egg, bacon and cheese breakfast bagel she was making him to go with the coffee she already had in a travel mug.

"What about Flack then? He doesn't have a life to interrupt." Danny said lightheartedly, hoping to defuse the mounting tension in the room.

At the pot shot Danny took about his friend's apparent lack of a social life, Lindsay snickered as she spoke. "I think Flack is just keeping his personal life personal. Not because he doesn't have one, but because it's not the lab's business to get involved in it." As she told him this, she handed him his coffee, before turning to wrap his breakfast in a paper towel.

"Lindsay, I would really feel better if there was someone around to keep an eye on you today. You know, just in case things don't go well. And if you won't let it be me, why not someone that cares about you almost as much as I do?" Danny said in a last ditch effort to get her to call someone, so he wouldn't be worried about how she was doing all day, and as a consequence, calling every five minutes to check on her.

"I know you would feel better, Dan. And I know you're just looking out for what's best for me. I'll tell you what. Let's compromise. If I need someone with me, I'll call you. If I really can't handle it on my own today, I'm sure Mac and Stella will understand and let you leave early. They know how much you fawn over me when I'm hurt, or sick, or just not okay; I think they'll let you come home to fawn if I need you. Okay?" she said, knowing she had to get him out the door and to work before he got in trouble for being too late.

Sighing in defeat, Danny agreed. "Okay. But you need me at all…" he began to agree when she cut him off again.

"I'll call. Now go before you end up getting a reprimand!" She ordered pushing him towards the front door.

"Okay, okay! I'm going! Sheesh! You independent country types are stubborn as pack mules!" Danny said with a chuckle as he grabbed his keys off the table in the hallway and opened the front door.

"I know, but at least I'm cuter than a pack mule." She jested, handing him his messenger bag so that he had everything he needed for the day.

Danny leaned down to kiss her good bye. When they pulled away from each other, he whispered, "call me later."

"I will! Now go!" She said and playfully shoved him out the door before either his reluctance to leave, or her desire to keep him close to her, had a chance to creep up in either one of them again. She watched him walk away until he reached the bottom landing of the stairs and was out of sight.

Sighing, she closed and locked the door, leaning against it, as she told herself, "I can do this. He'll be home soon, and I can call if I need anything. Everything will be fine…I hope." She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, before pushing off the door and heading into the kitchen to make some breakfast for her.

She stopped at the phone on the counter and considered, but only for a moment, calling Peyton and seeing if she would like to come over and chat. "Nah. She's probably got errands to run and other more important things to do than baby-sit me" The young woman reasoned. And with that final thought, Lindsay Monroe went about her day, the best she could.

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A/N: Finally! Another update! I am SO sorry that took so long! I have this annoying thing called life that kept me from writing. And then when that got sorted out, my muse was being a bitch and then I was tired. So, that's the story of why this took so long! I hope you all enjoy this and let me know what you think if you're so inclined! And while you're at it, why not check out my friend's story 'Let It Snow'? It's a great story and written by the one and only DKM, who happens to also be the best beta in the world! Luv ya chica! 


	8. Words Are Only Words

Ch 8 Words Are Only Words

Disclaimer: That's right people, you figured me out. I own it. I own it all! I'M THE KING OF THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! evil laugh Okay, so CSI: NY doesn't belong to me. It could though. Really. Right. And maybe, JUST MAYBE, angels will come flying out of Donald Trump's arse. For those of you that only speak legalese, I'm just borrowing. I won't make money off this. Don't sue me. However, if you want to sue me, you can have my kids and husband in lieu of money. No, really! They make great pets!

* * *

Danny made it to work in record time that morning. Granted, he'd broken every traffic law known to man, but he made it to the lab only half an hour late for his shift. _"Okay, not too bad. I'll be home by about 5 o'clock. She'll be okay until then. She said so herself." _ Danny tried to reason in his head as he pushed the elevator button to take him from the park garage up to the lab. Even with his constant internal reassurances, Danny's mind kept playing over the morning in his head. She said she'd be okay, and that she could handle it, but that still didn't sit right with him. Sure, he knew Lindsay was a capable, independent woman that took pride in being able to handle herself; but he still couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen today to rattle her capability and independence. "But what could possibly happen? I don't think she'd go out today with her face still so bruised up." Danny said to himself as the elevator dinged and opened to reveal an interesting scene.

In the elevator car were none other than Detectives Don Flack and Stella Bonasera, which wasn't unusual, as they did work there too. However, the interesting part came in at what the pair was doing in said elevator car. They were kissing! And not just a peck on the cheek, friendly kind of kissing, but the kind of kissing he and Montana had been doing that morning! Danny just stared in surprise as the two continued to be oblivious of his presence and the open elevator door. Finally, having thought of a fantastic way to ruffle their feathers, Danny cleared his throat…loudly.

At the intrusive noise, the pair sprung apart in surprise and horror to see Danny standing there with the biggest shit-eating grin, either of them had ever seen on his face.

"Uh, Danny! Hi!" Stella greeted her colleague in an overly enthusiastic manner as she and Don stepped to opposite sides of the elevator.

"Danno! What's up? You're late, why? Is Lindsay okay?" Flack greeted and attempted to deflect any comments Danny was going to make about what he'd just witnessed by trying to get him to talk about his favorite subject- Lindsay Monroe.

Calmly, Danny walked into the elevator and smiled, no, smirked is more like it, at the two blubbering detectives as he stood between them and hit the button for the 35th floor, keeping his eyes forward as the door closed and he began to answer their questions.

"Hello Stella. Hello Don." He said just calmly enough to make them wonder what smart ass comment he was going to make to them. But, he just continued, by answering the questions that Don had asked, the smirk on his face carefully controlled, as his eyes never wavered from the doors of the elevator. "As you noted Flack, yes, I'm late. I had to get Lindsay settled for the day and that took longer than I expected. She's fine though."

"How's she feeling today?" Stella asked a bit concerned that he'd had to get Lindsay 'settled' for the day and it took longer than he thought.

"A little worse for the wear, but she'll be okay. She's a tough cookie and is gonna pull through this just fine." Danny said, the last part said to convince himself more so than Stella.

Being the observant CSI that she was, Stella noticed this right away and spoke. "Danny, you know how Lindsay is. She's a stubborn woman with a downright ornery streak! This won't keep her down for long. She just won't let it." The curly haired detective finished just as the elevator reached the lab and the three passengers disembarked.

"Stella's right, Dan. Lindsay's gonna be fine and before you know it, she'll be back at work. And then everyone will once again be able to choke on the sexual tension you two seem to generate just be being in the same _**building**_ with each other." Flack said with a roll of his eyes and his most dramatic gagging sound.

Danny chuckled at his friend and made his way towards the locker room to store away his stuff. Before he got more than a couple feet away from the duo, he turned around and spoke. "Speaking of sexual tension, that was quite the display in the elevator there! I mean, I know y'all have missed me, but did you really need to greet me with a demonstration on doing a thorough cavity search?" Danny's facial expression turned into a Cheshire grin when he saw a light flush creep up the faces of the two people in question. "Well I'll be damned! I just made Stella Bonasera blush! I gotta call Linds and tell her! She's gonna love this!" Danny said with a maniacal laugh as he began to walk towards his destination while fishing his cell phone out of his pocket.

"Danny Messer, you will do no such thing! Do you hear me?!" Stella yelled after him down the hallway seeing that he had his phone out. Danny waved at her in acknowledgement, and kept walking. Really, he had no intention of calling Lindsay right now. For one, he didn't want her to think he was checking up on her; and secondly, this was a story better told in person when he could see the reaction on her face; not over the phone.

The rest of Danny's morning went smoothly. He'd stopped in Mac's office to give him an update on Lindsay and in turn, Mac had informed Danny that Kevin had been placed under arrest and was moved to an isolation wing to keep him away from the general population of patients and severely limit his visitors. And a uniformed officer was stationed outside his door at all times to prevent any mishaps. He'd even informed Danny that Kevin was not allowed to have a phone for fear that he would begin harassing Lindsay in lieu of being able to get to her.

"Okay, so what do you mean by 'severely limit his visitors?" Danny asked taking a seat across from Mac.

"I mean, only his mother is allowed to visit him. We've discovered that Kevin has gang ties and we can't chance him getting hold of anyone that could possibly finish what he started with Lindsay." Mac said matter-of-factly, all the while trying to keep his overt concern for Lindsay's safety out of his voice.

"Mac, I left her at home alone! Why didn't you tell me that she needs to be protected?" Danny barked, fear for the new love interest in his life bubbling to the surface.

"Because right now, we have no reason to believe she's in any danger, Danny. If we get information that she is, then we'll take steps to more actively keep an eye on her. Right now, I have a patrol car, circling her building every hour to watch for suspicious behavior. Kevin's in the hospital and he's being isolated like Fort Knox, so I don't think we need to spook Lindsay and make her feel like she's in a prison." Mac explained.

Danny opened his mouth to say something, but Mac quickly cut him off. "She's going to be fine. She's one of our own Danny. No one is going to let anything happen to her. Besides, she has you there to take care of her." Mac finished, giving Danny a knowing look, as the corner of his mouth turned up in a barely noticeable smile.

Once Danny was told that he was to stay in the lab today and work on paperwork in case Lindsay needed him, he was dismissed from Mac's office and headed towards the break room to get his fill of coffee. That simple task took longer than he could have imagined, as he was stopped by at least a dozen people, asking him how Lindsay was doing and when she'd be back. By the time he got to his and Lindsay's shared office he'd come to three conclusions. 1) The office smelled like her even when she wasn't there. 2) Mac should just put out an inter office memo that Lindsay was doing fine. 3) The break room coffee was indeed crap. He definitely preferred the way Lindsay made his coffee this morning and the blend she bought.

* * *

Just as he took his seat, the phone on his hip vibrated, indicating a text message. Danny flipped it open to see whom it was that sent it.

_New text message from Montana. Accept? Yes or No?_

Danny grinned and selected 'yes' to read her message.

_You get to work in one piece yet, Cowboy? _

Danny smirked, as he could imagine the tone of voice the message was sent in, and clicked to reply.

_Yep! I was only half an hour late! ;) _ He typed and clicked 'send'.

A couple minutes went by when the phone vibrated again indicating another message.

_New message from Montana. Accept? Yes or No?_

Again, Danny clicked yes and laughed aloud when he read her response.

_Only half an hour? How many unsuspecting pedestrians did you kill? ;)_

Danny got his laughter under control and sent a reply.

_I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. And I don't want to do that. You're way to pretty to kill. Not to mention, you make a great cup of coffee! This break room stuff is crap! _

_XO,_

_D_

Danny sent the message and went about getting ready to do reports until she text messaged back, which only took about five minutes.

He opened the phone and clicked 'yes' to read her message. It made him smile.

_That many huh? Well, I don't want specifics then. I'd rather play dumb when Don comes around to ask me about it. ;) Do you always flirt through text messaging with a girl; or do you really think I'm pretty? No matter. I think you're kinda cute yourself. Stick around and you'll get more of that great coffee! wink_

_XO,_

_M_

Having just spent the past few minutes shamelessly flirting with Lindsay in a session _she_ started, Danny was on top of the world as he got to work. Not even paperwork could ruin his day now!

The next hour went by in a haze of paperwork, more text flirting with Lindsay, in which he desperately wanted to ask if she'd called Peyton, but he thought better or that. Oh, and about 30 or so people coming into his office to ask how Lindsay was doing. Every time his response was the same. "Yes, she is doing fine. No, she won't be back to work until next week." And, his favorite response to the particularly nosey, "Yes, I was with her all day yesterday. But you already knew that. No, I won't confirm or deny _**THAT**__ insert shit eating grin here _ What Detective Monroe and I do on our spare time is none of your business, so you might as well just stop counting your winnings right now…_Stella!_ And tell Don to stop counting his as well. I think the only person here that's winning any kind of money, is Lindsay because of that little, _ahem_ elevator incident this morning." Danny said with an irritating flourish to his words and an even more annoying smirk permanently etched on his face.

"Fine. I'll go call Lindsay. She'll tell me." Stella said with a pout as she stared at Danny.

"Go ahead. She'll admit to just as much as I did." Danny replied with an air of certainty.

Stella didn't know it, but he and Lindsay had come to an agreement with almost no discussion, that their relationship wasn't the lab's business. The only person that needed to know about them being a couple was Mac, and they would tell him together, like a couple. Other than that, they'd just see how long it took the rest of the lab to figure it out; because while they had agreed that it wasn't anyone's business but their own, they also agreed they weren't going to go out of their way to hide it, either.

Stella stood up from the chair and began to walk towards the door, when Danny spoke and caught her attention.

"Oh, and Stell?" He said looking up at her.

"What? Change of heart about me having to bug your _girlfriend_ to get information you can tell me yourself?" Stella said brightly.

"No, no. Nothing like that. I was just hoping you'd tell her that she'd receive payment when I get home, in regards to the bet we made yesterday. That'll make her happy." Danny replied.

"I'm not calling her to gossip Danny! I'm merely just calling to find out what she's been up to and how things are going, that's all. No ulterior motives what-so-ever." Stella replied her voice laced with mock insult.

"Right Stella. That's why the phrase 'in charge of dissemination of office gossip' is in your job description." He replied not looking up from the report, he was reading now.

Rolling her eyes, the curly-haired detective fished her cell phone from the clip on the waistband of her black slacks. "You're just a bucket of shits and giggles today, aren't you, Messer?" she said dryly.

"Bye Stella." Danny replied with a smile, as he waved her out of his office.

With that, she was off down the hall, dialing Lindsay's cell phone as she walked.

'_During the course of our search of the Reynolds' apartment, Detective Monroe and I found a stain, testing positive for blood, on the underside of the mattress in the master bedroom. Further testing confirmed it was the blood of our victim Marion Reynolds. Also..." _

Danny was in the process of writing, when he heard a shriek of hysterical laughter emanating from the corridor right outside his and Lindsay's shared office. Looking up from his writing, he saw that it was Stella and she had her cell phone pressed to her ear as she tried to calm down and speak to the person, that Danny could only assume was Lindsay, on the other line.

"You did WHAT?!" Stella finally got out in a shocked tone once she regained her ability to speak. Another bark of laughter escaped her as the person on the other end of the line repeated what they'd just said a moment before.

"No wonder he looks so wounded today! Lindsay, you've mortally wounded Danny's ego!" Stella stated looking at Danny in his office, as he pretended not to be paying attention to what she was saying.

'_Lindsay. I knew it was her. Probably telling her about how she challenged my ability to rock her world last night.'_ Danny thought to himself as the hand holding the ink pen just hovered over the paper.

"Well, if that was your intention, you certainly accomplished your goal. He's so wounded, he won't even tell me what you two did all day yesterday, or what made him late this morning." Stella explained her view, albeit conveniently misconstrued, of Danny's demeanor that day. She went silent again as the other person spoke then retorted back, "Wise ass. Yeah, yeah. You go do that. I think too much time around the chemicals has scrambled your brain. I will. Bye Lindsay." Stella said, ending their conversation, then hanging up the phone and walking towards Danny's office.

"Hi Danny! How ya doing?" Stella chirped brightly as she practically skipped into the office and plopped down in Lindsay's chair.

"Hi Stella. Who was that?" Danny asked warily, already knowing the answer, but still needing confirmation that he was going to get teased six ways from Sunday because of what Stella was told on the phone.

"Who was what?" Stella asked, feigning innocence.

"On the phone. Who was it?" Danny growled, quickly getting irritated with her happiness.

"Oh. Well, that was just Lindsay." Came the overly chipper reply.

"And how is she doing?" Danny asked resisting the urge to grimace at what he knew was coming.

"She's fine! As a matter of fact, I think she's doing a lot better this morning than you are!" Stella told him, the grin on her face growing so big, Danny was sure her face was going to crack into one hundred pieces right there.

Sitting back in his chair, and lacing his fingers in front of him, Danny replied, "And what makes you think that?"

Leaning forward in her chair and neatly folding her hands on the desk in front of her, Stella spoke. "Simple really. A man with a big, fragile ego such as yours is bound to be emotionally scarred when a simple country girl tells you that you don't know the first thing about rocking her world." The tall, Greek woman said before erupting into another fit of laughter at the immediate look of insult on her pseudo little brother's face.

"She didn't say that I _don't know_ how to rock her world Stella. She just said that in the country they have different, shall we say… methods of rocking someone's world." Danny shot back smugly hoping to wipe the look of amusement off her face. It didn't work and her smile just grew as she recalled a conversation she and Lindsay had had a few weeks prior.

"Of course they have different methods Danny" Stella began to speak. "From what Lindsay has told me, all cowboys know it's a country girls dream come true to have a roll in the wheat, instead of a roll in the hay." She told him with a wink.

Just as Danny was about to shoot back a retort, his phone beeped with a text message. After reading the message, Danny grabbed the file with the report on the case he and Lindsay had been working on, and spoke to Stella.

"That was Mac. He needs to see me about this case immediately. Unlike you, I actually have to do work to be paid, so I'll just leave you to find someone else to hassle now. Bye Stella!" Danny spoke quickly as he grabbed the necessary file folder and hurried out of his office and towards the office of an anxiously waiting Mac.

Stella just shrugged her shoulders and went to check on the DNA results that Adam was supposed to have for her. "Someone has their panties in a twist today. I was just having some harmless fun and he has the nerve to tell me I'm a certified office gossip." She muttered to herself as she entered the trace lab where Adam was.

* * *

"Mac, what's so important that I had to leave in the middle of being harassed by Stella?" Danny jested, a hint of humor in his voice when he entered the office.

"Have a seat Danny. We really need to go over the paperwork in the Reynolds case." Mac said glumly.

"Is something wrong? Mr. Reynolds isn't trying to say he's not guilty after all and wants to change his plea, is he?" Danny asked concern evident in his voice as he began to sift through the file.

"Not exactly. He's trying to cop a plea deal down from Murder 1, to Manslaughter. Says he didn't plan to kill her, he just did it in the heat of the moment." Mac explained to the young CSI.

Hearing this, Danny growled in frustration. "He says he didn't plan it?! That's bullshit Mac! Lindsay and I collected plenty of evidence that says he did; and he'd been planning it for at least six months!" Danny said exasperated.

"I know you guys have busted your humps for a murder conviction here Danny. That's why I need to go over the evidence with you so that when I go in there and recommend the deal be refused, I have a solid leg to stand on. So, let's see what you have that will compel me to recommend against this, okay?" Mac stated his position on this as empathetically as possible, but also driving home the point that he needs to go in there with actual scientific proof that his was planned; not just the word of two of his team members.

"Yeah, I know. You have to have concrete proof that points to premeditation before you'll shoot down a plea deal. Sorry Mac, I guess I'm just on edge right now." Danny said apologetically as he pulled out the first evidence analysis sheet to show Mac.

Mac gave a barely perceptible sympathetic smile at Danny before getting down to business.

The two men worked for over an hour, pouring over result after result. And many crime scene photos and statements from neighbors, family, friends and, Antonio Reynolds.

"See, Mac. That doesn't make sense. He said he didn't plan to kill her, but we have the receipt and store clerk identification that says he was in the store the morning before the murder buying the knife we were able to identify as the murder weapon. And then there's the extra $500,000 in life insurance he took out on his wife 6 months before the murder. All that just screams he planned it." Danny explained the pieces of evidence that pointed at premeditation.

"That is a lot of evidence against him. I think that'll be enough to get a denial for his plea deal. Good work Danny. You and Lindsay did a good job on this one." Mac concluded and praised his employee. Stella had pointed out to him that since the Minhas shooting, Mac hadn't seemed to tell Danny when he was doing a good job as much as he used to. As a result, Mac was trying to be more mindful of giving Danny a pat on the back when he deserved it.

"Thanks Mac." Danny said, a half smile turning up one side of his mouth as he let Mac's words sink in. It had been quite awhile since Danny felt like Mac thought he was doing a good job, and to have him say he did a good job, mean more to him than Danny expected it to. No sooner did Danny get the words out, than his cell began to play the familiar ring tone, "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison. Danny knew it was Lindsay and immediately stopped and answered the phone, a feeling of urgency twisting his stomach in knots as he spoke.

"Montana, what's up?" Danny spoke into the phone trying to keep things light despite the feeling that something was wrong.

"Danny" She whispered his name, trying not to cry.

"Lindsay? What's wrong?" Danny asked, immediately knowing the tone of her voice meant something was wrong.

"D…Dan…" She spoke again. A sob cutting off his name.

"Lindsay? What's wrong? Baby, talk to me. Please. What do you need?" Danny tried again, trying to override whatever had made her so upset so that she would tell him what was going on.

"Come home" Was all she said in a whisper so soft, he could barely hear her.

"Okay, I'm coming home right now. Hold on baby. Just…hold on. I'll be there soon, okay?" He said as he looked up to see Mac hurriedly waving him out the door.

"I need you Danny" Was all she said as the sobs took over again, rendering her unable to speak anymore.

"I'll be right there. Don't worry. It's gonna be okay sweetie. Just…just stay there and hold on. I'm on my way." Danny pleaded into the phone desperately. The only response he got was another sob, and the sound of the call disconnecting. Danny ran into the locker room to grab his stuff and hurry home to his Montana. Never in his life had Danny ever felt the kind of helplessness he did right now. He knew something was wrong and he had to get to her quickly.

* * *

A/N: Want to give a big shout out to my beta, DKM! You rock chica! And a huge thanks to all my reviewers! You guys are the best! 


	9. On Second Thought, Maybe I'm Not Okay

Ch 9 On Second Thought, Maybe I'm Not Okay

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI: NY, Danny Messer or Lindsay Monroe. Those are the property of CBS and the big wigs that write the show. As a little schmuck, that doesn't write the show, I'm just borrowing them for fun and will return them unharmed.

A/N: I want to thank you all for helping me reach my 100th review (well 113th if we're going to be totally accurate about it) last chapter! I am so excited that y'all like this story so much! Thanks! Enjoy and remember to review!!

A/N 2: I huge thanks goes out to **SallyJetson **for the beta! This chapter took a lot of handholding and editing power. It wouldn't be what it is, without her patience, knowledge and honest opinions! Thanks chica!

* * *

After kissing Danny at the door, Lindsay locked it and leaned on the wooden panel with her back. "I can do this." She pushed off from the door and headed into the kitchen. Now that she had seen Danny off to work, it was time to get her self some breakfast and get dressed. When she passed the phone sitting on its charger she paused as Danny's requests to call Peyton replayed in her mind. She considered it, but only for a moment.

_She doesn't exactly scream I've been abused before, so I know what its like._

She proceeded to dig a package of frozen waffles from the back of the freezer.

And as she waited for the waffles to pop up from the toaster, mulled over her thoughts on Dr. Peyton Driscoll. Sure, she liked Peyton. From a purely observatory point of view, she could see that in general, she and Peyton seemed to get along better than Stella and Peyton.

_It's that whole, Mac is my friend and I don't want to see him get hurt again because losing Claire is enough pain for one lifetime, mentality that Stella has._

Stella; she mused as she sat down at the kitchenette with her waffles, coffee and pain medication was a complex and strong woman.

Stella Bonasera had been the first person to make Lindsay feel welcome on her first day at the Crime Lab.

Lindsay took a bite of the waffle, slathered in the homemade strawberry jam her mother sent every summer and she smiled as she recalled the conversation she and Stella had had at the end of shift about how her first day had gone.

"_So, how has your first day been, Lindsay?" Stella asked as she stood next to her new colleague in the elevator. _

"_It's been busy. I like it; a real change of pace from being in Montana." Lindsay replied, holding back the disgruntled sigh as she remembered that Danny character tagging her with that new nickname this morning._

"_Yeah, well New York is like a different country sometimes. You see things here that just don't happen too often in other places." Stella said, gently feeling out the other woman's disposition about the city._

"_Tell me about it. The tiger was definitely a first for me. And the people. The people without a doubt are different," Lindsay continued, happy to have someone to talk to, that wasn't as intimidating as her boss was, or as annoying as Danny. _

"_Mac believes in diving in head first into this job and getting your hands dirty right away." Stella chuckled as she'd heard that Lindsay had been stuck with the unfortunate job of sifting through tiger dung to find any body parts from the vic. _

"_Okay, well that explains Mac then, but what's Danny's problem? Does he have some kind of impulse control problem where he just has to be an asshole to the new girl?"_

_Stella laughed. "Danny's just being, well, he's just being Danny; that's all." She struggled to explain his less than friendly manner without coming right out and saying that he was treating her that way simply because she wasn't Aiden. "You'll get used to him, and he'll get used to you." Stella advised, hoping the tired young woman would be able to read between the lines of her statement._

"_In other words, I'll be able to ignore him like a pro in no time." Lindsay surmised with a roll of her eyes. _

"_Exactly!" Stella laughed as the doors of the elevator opened into the parking garage._

_The two women shared another laugh before saying their goodbyes and heading in separate directions. _

"That's it!" Lindsay said triumphantly, as she cleared away her breakfast dishes. "If anyone knows what I'm feeling right now, it will be Stella after all she went through her own ordeal with Frankie. She did say if I needed to talk about it, I could call at anytime."

She picked up the phone and her thumb hovered over the button she had assigned in speed dial Stella. But she had second thoughts.

_What if she's busy? She is at work after all._

Just as she was going to sit the phone down it rang in her hand, making her jump in surprise.

'Stella Cell', the display read, Lindsay breathed a sigh of relief.

"Get a hold of yourself, Lindsay," she chastised herself, "It's just Stella."

"Hey Stell!"

"Hey Linds! How are you today?"

"Oh, I'm doing okay." Lindsay told her friend, not so sure that she indeed, was, doing okay.

"Well, that's a good thing then, Stella, not quite convinced Lindsay was doing okay with being alone, added intuitively, "unless you're lying to me, Lindsay."

The defeated sigh, on the other end of the line gave her at least a partial answer.

"I'm not lying to you Stella. Well, not really. I just... well…it's just that…" Lindsay stammered trying to find the words to describe what she was feeling.

"You know he can't hurt you, but you're still afraid he'll find a way to come back" Stella filled in the blanks from her own experience.

Lindsay nodded in agreement before realizing that Stella couldn't see her, and spoke shakily.

"Uh, yeah. That and I keep hearing his voice in my head Stell. I can't make the voice go away, and it scares me. I'm afraid I'm going crazy."

Stella heard the waver in the emotionally fragile younger woman's voice and was ready to cry with her, but kept her composure as she spoke.

"Do you need me to have Mac kick Danny out of here for you?"

"No, no that's not necessary. I'm just being silly" Lindsay dismissed Stella's concern easily.

"Lindsay" Stella began.

"Stell, I'm fine! Really, I am!"

"So, anything interesting happening in the lab today?" She briskly changed the subject.

Stella did not think that this rapid change in attitude was odd because, for Lindsay, it wasn't odd. The entire lab was used to this from her. She always kept people at a distance, save for Danny apparently, as if that would keep her safe from something. But occasionally, there would be glimpses of how she really felt or of what she was really thinking only for it to be quickly buried again.

"No, nothing new is going on here. Just business as usual," Stella paused "are you sure you don't need Danny to be there with you? I know it can be unnerving to be left alone in the same environment where you went through such a traumatic experience," she empathized with what Lindsay was probably feeling right now.

"I'll be fine. After my breakdown this morning, I think Danny's going to figure out I'm too screwed up to be the kind of girlfriend he deserves." Lindsay stated quietly.

"Breakdown? Lindsay, what happened this morning?" Stella asked, her concern suddenly sky rocketing.

"I freaked out on Danny. I was thinking about what happened, and everything that I went through as a teenager, and all the guilt and blame. And I just freaked, Stell! Danny deserves better than someone who freaks out at random times for no reason!"

"Lindsay, now you listen to me. Danny loves you. He's never said those exact words to me about you, but I can tell he does. It's obvious in everything he does. I think he's willing to deal with the freak outs to help you move on to a place in your life where you can be happy."

"But, he shouldn't have to deal with freak outs, nightmares, the fear of not deserving him and my insecurities about not being a good girlfriend. He deserves better than that."

"Kiddo, he doesn't _have _to deal with any of that now. He _wants _to deal with that. He wants to be with you, and if he has to help you through all the baggage for that to happen, that's what he'll do."

"But I don't deserve it. I was so horrible to him that day in the precinct. How can he possibly love someone like that? What did I do to deserve his love?"

"I'm going to tell you what Flack told me the other day after we left your apartment when he told me he was falling in love with me, and I asked him what I did to deserve his love. After all, I have so much excess baggage too. When I told him I was sure he could find someone less complicated to be with do you know what he said?"

"What?"

"He told me that being with me was enough reason for him to love me. He said we all have excess baggage to deal with and that's a task you take on only if you love someone."

"But I can't be with Danny heart, mind, body and soul. I'm too flawed. Too broken to let someone in like that, Stell."

"Have you talked to Danny about any of this, Lindsay? Asked him what he wants?"

"He knows about my past and what happened when I was a teenager. He knows that being with Kevin and Seth marked me as damaged goods."

"But he's still there Lindsay. That means, that to him, you aren't damaged goods."

"I don't deserve him, Stell."

"Don't say that. Don't let your past dictate what future experiences you allow yourself to have. Talk to Danny about all this. I think you'll be surprised to see that he understands more than you'd expect. Okay?" Stella said in a reassuring tone.

"Okay. I'll talk to him."

"Good girl. I have to go check on some DNA results right now, but if you need to talk some more, call me, okay?"

"Okay. Bye Stell."

"Bye Lindsay."

After dressing in a purple t-shirt and black lounge pants, Lindsay started to dry her hair, but stopped when she heard her house phone ringing, in the kitchen.

Snatching it off its base on the third ring, she quickly answered it.

"Hello?"

"I'm coming for you Lindsay" the evil voice rasped in her ear.

"Who is this?" She demanded.

"That's not important."

"What do you want?!" she asked, as the claws of fear took a stranglehold in the pit of her stomach.

"I want you dead. I'm coming for you, Lindsay; and you're going to die a slow, painful death. But not before you watch the life slip out of your precious Danny." The raspy voice took on an even more evil tone.

"Leave Danny alone! He didn't do anything to you!" She yelled into the phone.

"He's as sinful as you are and now you both must die. You don't know when, how, or where, but I'm going to kill you."

_click_

As the line went dead, Lindsay slipped to the floor shock and fear taking a death grip on her body.

Danny. She had to call Danny. She automatically grabbed her cell from her waistband with a shaky hand and hit the speed dial for his number.

The phone rang twice before he picked up.

"Montana, what's up?" Danny greeted her, trying to act as normal as possible, not wanting to let Mac know he felt something was wrong.

"Danny" she whispered his name trying unsuccessfully to keep the tremor out of her voice.

"Lindsay? What's wrong?"

"D…Dan…" She sobbed his name.

"Lindsay? What's wrong? Baby, talk to me. Please. What do you need?"

"Come home" she replied in a barely audible whisper.

"Okay, I'm coming home right now. Hold on baby. Just…hold on. I'll be there soon, okay?"

"I need you Danny"

"I'll be right there. Don't worry. It's gonna be okay sweetie. Just…just stay there and hold on. I'm on my way." Danny pleaded into the phone desperately.

Unable to speak, Lindsay just nodded and hung up the phone.

Summoning what little strength she could, Lindsay moved over to the couch, knees pulled to her chest and her chin resting on them as she hoped and prayed for a way to keep Danny safe from this…mad person.

She didn't know if it was a man or a woman; let alone what she had done to deserve to die.

However, she did know that Danny didn't deserve this, and she had to find a way to keep him safe, even if it cost her, her happiness.


	10. Keep Holding On

Ch 10 Keep Holding On

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI: NY, or any of its central characters. Any resemblances between this story and show plots is merely coincidence or inserted for clarity. Please don't sue. I don't have any money.

A/N: As always, a huge thank you to **Sally Jetson **for the beta!

* * *

_The cure for all the ills and wrongs, the cares, the sorrows, and the crimes of humanity, all lie in that one word ''Love.'' It is the divine vitality that everywhere produces and restores life._

_-Lydia M. Child_

Danny arrived home as quickly as he could, in the mid day traffic. His mind ran frantic with thoughts of what could be wrong. His worst fear was that Kevin had somehow managed to contact her, despite Mac's reassurances that he had no way to do so.

Danny ran up the three flights of stairs and unlocked her apartment door. Not certain of her mental and emotional state right now, he resisted the urge to slam the door and yell for her in the small interior. Instead, he quickly closed and locked the door behind him, and made his way into the living room.

His heart clenched in empathy for the woman curled up in a ball, on the couch with her gaze fixed at some random spot on the floor, in front of her.

"Montana?"

_silence _

"Lindsay?" Danny tried to gain her attention again, this time, using her given name as he slowly approached her.

_silence _

Now he was getting worried. He took a seat on the coffee table in front of her, as he tried once again to get her to acknowledge his presence.

"Lindsay? Baby, what's the matter?"

Raising her gaze to meet his, Lindsay spoke softly, as tears caught in her throat.

"Oh, Danny! It was awful!"

"What was awful?"

She shifted her gaze back to the floor, as she contemplated the best way to tell him what had happened.

"What was awful? Sweetie, what happened?"

Needing to feel some kind of tangible connection to emotional wreck of a woman sitting in front of him, Danny gently placed his fingers under her chin and raised her eyes to look at him.

His heart broke when he sat that the woman who had so determinedly told him that she would be fine this morning had vanished. A mere shell of the Lindsay that Danny knew and loved occupied her being. Her face was pale despite the bruising, her features weighed down by grief and fear. Her eyes, which usually held a fiery spark, were now dazed and empty. Red tear tracks stained her cheeks.

_Holy cow, I love her! I'm actually in love with Lindsay Monroe! _

Pushing the shock and happiness of his sudden realization aside, Danny gently prodded her for an explanation.

"What happened Lindsay? C'mon kiddo, talk to me. What's got my ragazza bella so upset?"

"I…I…I got a phone call."

"From who? When? What did they say?" Danny rapidly fired his questions.

"Um, I don't know who it was. It was right before I called you, so about an hour ago, I guess? Someone's trying to kill me Danny." She explained, her voice cracking, as tears slipped free.

"What?"

"The caller, he…or she…I couldn't tell which, said that they were coming to kill me. And you. Said we deserved to die for what we'd done."

Quickly, Danny moved to the sofa, and pulled Lindsay into a soothing, protective hug.

"Shh. It's gonna be okay, Linds. I'm here and I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. Okay?"

"Danny, I can't do this." She stated, pulling out of his embrace.

"Can't do what?"

"You. Me. This. _Us_."

"Lindsay, what are you saying?"

"I like you Danny…a lot. Even more than, like, really. But I can't be with you."

_Oh no. We can't possibly be having this conversation again! Not after how far we've come._

"Why can't you be with me, Linds?" he asked, trying to keep the hurt from seeping into his words.

"You deserve better, than me. I'll only get you killed." She whispered, barely audible.

"What do you mean; you'll only get me killed?"

"It's because of me, that they want you dead too."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do."

"How do you know? And while we're at it, what's all this business about me deserving better than you?"

"I know because that has to be it! No one was threatening you before we got together. You see, if it wasn't for me, you'd still be safe."

"But you wouldn't." Danny stated, matter-of- factly, and wiped a stray tear from her cheek.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"It has a lot to do with everything, sweetie. If you're not safe, then I'm not safe. I'm not going to just sit by and let someone hurt you, Lindsay. I would die before I let anyone hurt you." Danny answered honestly, his intense gaze never wavering from hers.

"I don't deserve to have you put your life at risk for me."

"Why not?"

"Danny, if you die it'll be my fault. I can't let someone else die because of me…not again."

_Oh! Okay, so that's what this is all about. _

"Lindsay, no one died because of you the first time. That was Seth's fault; not yours."

"Try telling Aunt Jean that," she muttered.

"You're Aunt Jean is wrong. Seth was hell bent on creating havoc, and you couldn't have stopped it."

Lindsay looked past Danny, emotions chasing across her face. Sensing that she needed a short break, Danny stood up.

"I'm going to call Mac and tell him what happened. I'll be right back."

While Danny talked to Mac, Lindsay contemplated how to convince Danny that it was dangerous to be around her. She didn't want to be the reason he got hurt, but he didn't seem like he was going to be going anywhere anytime soon. She was running out of time.

Danny took a seat next to her on the couch as he spoke.

"Mac and Stella are on their way. They need to get a statement about what happened.

Lindsay nodded silently.

"Danny, you really do deserve better. I can't be the kind of woman you…" she started to explain, but Danny's finger on her lips silenced her.

"Lindsay, I don't want better. I want you. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I don't want to lose that."

"I don't want to lose it either."

"But?" Danny filled in the unvoiced end of her statement.

"But, I'm scared Danny."

"Scared? Of what?"

"I'm scared of disappointing you. I'm scared of screwing things up again."

"Oh, Linds. You could never disappoint me. You've been through so many traumas in your life, and yet, you're not a depressive, or some drug addict. Baby, you've made something wonderful of your life. As a result, I am perpetually proud of you! And you never screwed things up the first time. You said it yourself, you had some issues to work through; and you're doing that."

"But I didn't work through my issues. I gave you the classic, 'it's not you, it's me' line, and then turned around and hooked up with Kevin. That wasn't fair to do to you, Danny; and I'm sorry."

A tear rolled down her cheek; he wiped it away.

"You're right, it wasn't fair to me, and I don't understand why you did it. But, I do forgive you."

"Settling for Kevin was easy. I knew he was scum. His father was a gambler, who was killed over a $4,000 debt. His mom's an alcoholic and his sister's in jail for possession with intent to sell…for the third time."

"If you knew he didn't have anything going for him; then why did you pick him?" Danny asked, genuinely curious at her motivations.

"Because…because, I guess, I just knew he wouldn't expect anything of me. If he didn't expect anything of me, then I couldn't disappoint him."

"Montana, I didn't, nor do I, expect anything of you. I just want you to be happy. I want you to know how much you're loved. But Kevin just wanted to hurt you. Why stay with a guy that made you so miserable?"

Lindsay looked down into her lap, shame marring her features as she spoke.

"After the murders. The mothers, and my aunt, all told me that their daughters had no future. No chance to be happy. They all said it wasn't fair that I was spared and allowed to go on, when their children couldn't. I was told I didn't deserve to be happy. So, I guess I convinced myself that if I spent my life being miserable, then, I could make it up to them. In some way, my being miserable is what I deserve for fighting to live instead of dying with them."

Her shoulders shook from her silent tears. He couldn't believe the psychological hell she'd been through for the past 12 years. As he watched her, one thought continued to roll through his mind.

_Well, it stops here. I won't let you be miserable ever again Montana. I love you, and I'm devoting the rest of my life to making you feel happy and loved._

Danny pulled Lindsay into his arms, cradling her head in the crook of his neck, as he stroked her hair, and soothed her tears.

"Montana. Look at me, Lindsay."

Lindsay looked up from her spot on his shoulder, as her tears slowed.

"Despite what those mothers said. You deserve to be happy. You went through hell in that cafeteria, and came out alive. You are such a strong woman, Lindsay. You shouldn't ever have to settle for being treated as a lesser person just because you survived."

He smiled that smile that he had only for her. It reached right up to his eyes, and straight into her heart. She smiled back, what he called her 'country girl' smile.

"I'm not sure why you survived; but I sure am glad that you did. I can't imagine what my life would be like without you in it; and God willing, I won't ever have to know what it would be like. If you just give me a chance, I swear to you, that I'll do everything in my power to make you feel happy and loved. I can't promise that I'll always be perfect, but I'll do right by you Lindsay. No more being treated like a second rate person. In my eyes, you are royalty, Lindsay Monroe. Give us a chance. Give yourself a chance to be happy. Get a taste of what it's like to be cherished, respected and happy…to be treated the way you deserve to be treated."

When Lindsay looked at Danny's hopeful gaze, she knew her answer. She knew he would make her happy; and she believed him when he said she deserved it. She would give him a chance.

Snaking her hand around his neck, she pulled his lips down to meet hers; soft, loving, tender. When he felt willingness, he licked across her bottom lip, asking for entrance. Moaning softly, Lindsay allowed him to explore her; to taste her, to please her. Their eager lips, tongues and hands feverishly explored each other, reveling in the new level of both physical and emotional intimacy.

The chiming of the doorbell parted them, breathing ragged, eyes gleaming, lingering hands stilling.

"That's probably Mac." With a final chaste kiss on her forehead, Danny reluctantly rose and went to the door.


	11. II'll Fight For You

Ch 11 I'll Fight For You

Disclaimer: As I've said ten times before, I don't own CSI: NY or its characters. I also don't own the song, 'Everything I Do (I Do It For You)'. That is the property of Bryan Adams. I don't own him either. Clear? Good.

A/N: Thanks to **SallyJetson ** and **notesofwimsey **for the beta and the gamma, respectively. Also thanks to those that continue to review and give me feedback, and thanks to those that just read. All of you are greatly appreciated!

* * *

_You know it's true_

_Everything I do_

_I do it for you_

_-Bryan Adams "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)"_

Once she lost the comfort and warmth of having Danny's arms around her, Lindsay felt her body begin to tremble as the terrifying memory of the phone call came rushing back.

"Mac, Stella. Thanks for coming so quickly," Danny greeted wearily, showing them into the small living room.

"Oh Lindsay," Stella said and wrapped Lindsay in a hug as she took a seat next to her.

"How is she?" Mac asked Danny, seeing that Lindsay wasn't in the mood for idle chitchat.

"She's pretty rattled."

The two men looked over at the couch where Stella and Lindsay sat.

Lindsay kept a stationary pose; hands balled in her lap, impassive gaze fixed on the mahogany table in front her, and unresponsive.

In contrast, the other woman, had one arm wrapped around Lindsay's shoulders, her other hand gently patting the silent woman's forearm, as her worried gaze searched Lindsay's deadpan features for some sign of responsiveness.

Danny effortlessly adjusted Lindsay's slight frame, allowing him enough room to sit between her and the armrest of the couch. Stella scooted down slightly, to give the young couple more room, and Mac sat in the overstuffed armchair to Danny's right.

Judging from Lindsay's distressed demeanor, Mac decided to ask Danny the first question, hoping she would finish the story for him, as she often did when working with him in the lab.

Setting his tape recorder on the coffee table, he pressed the record button to start the interview, after getting a nod from Danny.

"Danny, why don't you tell me what caused to you to leave work in such a rush this afternoon."

"Lindsay called me, and told me she needed me to come home."

"Why was that?"

"She was crying and could barely speak. She had received…"

"a threatening phone call," she abruptly inserted, her hands trembling like a pane of glass

following a loud crack of thunder.

Sensing that her shaking was the beginning of an emotional breakdown, Danny wrapped a comforting arm around Lindsay's shoulders, in silent encouragement.

"What did the caller say?" Mac asked, doing his best to maintain the professionalism in his voice, despite the internal twinge of concern, he felt at seeing his young CSI's composure, slowly begin to crumble.

"He…she…I can't tell which, said that they were coming to kill me. Kill me and Danny," her voice cracked as her emotional brain began to override the CSI part of her that said she had to get the story out as concisely and coherently as possible.

Shock registered on Mac and Stella's faces. Stella, being the first to recover her voice, cautiously asked the next question.

"Lindsay, did this person say why they wanted you dead?"

Lindsay nodded, but balked at speaking.

"Sweetie, you need to say it. It's okay." Danny encouraged.

"Um, they said that, we were sinful and we deserved to die. But I deserved to watch Danny die first, for what I've done."

Mac and Stella wordlessly stared at each other, the world seeming to disappear as the weight of Lindsay's words began to sink in.

A small, muffled sob brought them crashing back to reality and they turned to see Lindsay's face buried in Danny's shirt; his arms wrapped around her as she cried.

"Shh. I'm right here. I'm not going to die, and I'm not going to let anything happen to you. You're safe now. Okay?" He crooned softly, in her ear.

"Stella," Mac nodded for her to accompany him into the kitchen for a sidebar.

He allowed her to proceed him into the small, tiled space before following her into the far corner, by the stove, out of earshot of Danny and Lindsay.

"So, what are you thinking, Stella?"

"She's clearly devastated and scared to death, Mac. We need to find out who's responsible for this; put and end to this hell she's in."

"And we will. We're not going to stand by and let someone hurt her again. Now that we know what's going on, we can protect her." Mac was resolute in his answer.

_Just like a Marine. _

"How? How can we protect her when we don't know who's doing this to her?" Stella's question was desperate.

"Follow the evidence. Starting with the most obvious clue."

With that, Mac pulled out his phone and dialed a familiar number.

* * *

"_Flack,"_ came the clipped greeting.

"It's Mac. I need you to follow up on Kevin for me."

"_Kevin? Why? Did something happen to Lindsay?" _

"She got a phone call today. Someone threatened to kill her. We need to find out what the little weasel might know about that."

"_I don't think Kevin's going to be able to help any. Even if he wanted to."_

"What do you mean?"

"_I mean, I was just informed by the hospital that Kevin apparently killed himself this morning."_

"What do you mean he killed himself? How in the hell did that happen? I thought he was on 24-hour watch!"

Flack winced at the sharpness of the tone on the other end of the line.

"_I'm not sure Mac, but it looks like his mom smuggled Cyanide in when she came to visit him today. He was able to take the capsules, she left, and he coded soon after."_

"Alright, thanks for the info Flack."

"_No problem, Mac. You get her statement, and we'll work on subpoenaing phone records from this end."_

"Yeah, yeah. I know the drill. Bye."

* * *

Wearily, Mac scrubbed his hands over his face, before looking at Stella's expectant face.

"Kevin's dead."

"What?" Stella hissed, so as not to arouse suspicion from the occupants of the other room.

"Apparently, his mother helped him commit suicide this morning."

"The ultimate cowardly flight to avoid prosecution" she surmised, "so, what do we tell them?" she finished, gesturing towards the living room.

"The truth."

* * *

"What's going on?" Lindsay asked, sitting up, as she took in the sullen looks on her friends' faces.

"Lindsay, we talked to Flack" Stella began, "and we told him about the phone call; as well as our suspicion that Kevin might be involved somehow."

"And he's going to go beat the truth out of the worthless little shit, and then this whole ordeal will be over." Danny stated, unquestionably.

"Not exactly," Mac began.

"What do you mean, not exactly?" Lindsay questioned softly.

"Kevin's dead, kiddo" Stella decided to just lay it out.

"Dead?" they questioned in unison.

"Yes, apparent suicide." Mac answered the silent question hanging over them.

"What happens now?"

"Well, Flack is going to subpoena your phone records, Lindsay; and as of right now, I'm allowing you to come back to work on lab duty only. I don't want you alone. Until we catch whoever is doing this to you, I'm going to have a patrol do hourly drive bys. Okay?" Mac outlined his hastily put together plan of action.

As numbness took over her body, Lindsay nodded in agreement, not really hearing what Mac was saying.

Someone was trying to kill her, and it wasn't Kevin. The sheer knowledge that there was someone out there, that had enough anger towards her to not only want _her_ dead, but to make her suffer and watch Danny lose his life first, was enough to send a visible shiver down her body, and allow a few tears to run a race down her ghastly white cheeks.

Danny gathered Lindsay up into his comforting embrace stroking her hair and whispering in her ear, all over again.

Mac and Stella looked on at the display of pure love and adoration taking place in front of them, with smiles on their faces, before Stella spoke to excuse themselves.

"We better head back to the lab and see if Flack has been able to come up with anything yet. Danny, you take care of her, and we'll see both of you tomorrow afternoon; unless we need you earlier, okay?"

"Don't worry, Stell. I'll make sure Miss Monroe gets the finest treatment Che' Messer has to offer."

Danny reassured Stella, while flashing Lindsay the famous Messer grin, receiving a shy smile and roses blooming over her cheeks in return.

Mac and Stella smiled, before saying goodbye once more, and heading towards the door. Before closing the door behind him, Mac turned around and spoke.

"Oh, and, Danny?"

"Yeah, Mac?"

"I told you, it could happen to you."

Danny smirked at the closing door, before looking at Lindsay then looking back at the wooden panel and replying,

"That you did Mac. That you did."

"What did Mac say could happen to you?"

Danny pulled Lindsay into the crook of his arm, placing a kiss on the top of her head before speaking. He figured now was the perfect time to tell her his little secret.

"About two years ago, Mac and I were working on this case where a bride was poisoned on her wedding day. Anyway, we were talking over the body about weddings and love and all that, and Mac said, 'it could happen to you, you know?' to which I replied, 'what, marriage?', and he said, 'No, love'. Anyway, I told him not to joke about it, that it wasn't funny. Turns out he was right."

Danny finished, looking to Lindsay for her reaction.

Her eyes narrowed on him, half-suspicious, half-hopeful.

"Danny, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying, Lindsay Monroe, I love you."

Tears of happy surprise sprang to her eyes as she responded.

"Danny Messer, I love you too."

Their lips met in a kiss full of hope and promise. Hope for a long, happy future together. A promise to always do right by each other. But most of all, the kiss contained complete devotion and unconditional love one for the other.


	12. Courage and Determination

Ch 12 The Name of the Game is Courage and Determination

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI: NY or any plots, characters, places that are integral to the show. Those are the property of Anthony Zuiker, Jerry Bruckheimer and CBS. However, I do own, my OC's; so please don't steal them. Oh, and please don't sue. It would be akin to getting blood from a turnip.

A/N: I would like to thank **SallyJetson **for the fantastic beta job and **DKM** for being my sounding board and throwing different ways of thinking in my direction! Also, thanks to the reviewers/readers for showing this story so much love! It really means a lot to me, to hear what you guys think. Even if you don't review, thanks for taking the time to read this story and adding me/it to your alerts and favorites!

_Life is like a game of cards_

_The hand that is dealt you represents determinism; _

_The way you play it is free will._

_-Jawaharal Nehru_

"You ready?" Danny asked, with concern as he took Lindsay's hand in his and pushed the elevator button for the 35th floor with his free hand.

"No," came her blunt, honest reply.

"You're not alone in this Lindsay."

"I know."

"Then talk to me. Tell me what the matter is." He almost pleaded.

"Someone's trying to kill me. And they know I'm not alone in this, so they want you dead too. That's what the matter is." She responded, looking at him for the first time since they entered the elevator car.

With that, Danny hit the stop button on the elevator. He knew this needed to be said right now, but he also knew they were already on the 31st floor and he didn't have enough time.

"I know. That's why we need to figure out who's doing this to you. Who's doing this to us?"

"Danny, you shouldn't have to stick around because you feel obligated to. I can take care of …"

She was silenced by Danny's fingers on her lips.

"I know I don't _have _to be here, Linds. I _want_ to be here. I love you, and I'll be damned if I'm going to stand by and let someone try to hurt you! Please Lindsay, don't shut me out. Not now. Not again. I can't promise you that I'll make it go away. Hell, I can't even promise that it won't get worse before it gets better. But I _can_ promise to love you and be there for you, in the darkness and in the light. Let me do that for you Lindsay. Let me do that for us."

Danny finished his speech, and waited for her to respond.

Deciding that he truly meant what he said, Lindsay turned and pressed her lips to his for a chaste, loving kiss.

"I love you, Danny."

"I love you too, Montana. Forever."

With that, Danny started the elevator for its ascent of the final four floors.

The elevator dinged in the bustling lobby of the crime lab, just before the doors opened. Instinctively knowing that Lindsay wanted to keep things professional at work, Danny removed his hand from hers as they exited the elevator car and made their way down the hall towards the hardly used conference room where Mac had told them the team would gather.

Sure enough, when Danny opened the door to usher Lindsay inside, the entire team was present, M.E.'s and all.

"Lindsay! Danny!" Everyone chorused, relieved to have the pair with the group, safe and sound.

Having not seen Lindsay's injuries first hand, Sid and Peyton were the first to react with audible gasps; despite the fact that some of the bruising had vanished and what was left was a green/yellow color.

On reflex, to the shocked reactions, Lindsay ducked her head and fixated on a spot in the eggshell colored carpet. Seconds later, the two M.E.'s in question, were standing in front of her, waiting for her to look up.

"Let me have a look love," Peyton said in her prominent British accent as her fingers lifted Lindsay's chin until the two women were eye to eye.

Lindsay stood stiffly while the taller woman took in her appearance; all the while wanting nothing more than for the floor to open up and swallow her into oblivion.

The fear and embarrassment she felt, played over her face akin to a CD track stuck on repeat, as Peyton continued her careful examination of the young woman she had grown to know and like. If she were ever asked, Peyton wouldn't hesitate to call Lindsay her friend, despite the fact that they didn't seem to have a whole lot in common.

Seeing the emotions in her eyes and the way she nervously fidgeted with the zipper on her green hooded sweater, Peyton decided to speak and, hopefully, calm her nerves.

"That seems to be healing nicely. How about everything else? Are you in much pain?"

"My ribs, back and neck are still really bruised and they hurt, but it's not as bad as it was. I'm still taking the pain medication, when I need it."

"And what about sleeping? Are you still having nightmares?" Sheldon piped up from his spot to Stella's right.

"They aren't as frequent."

"But you're still having them?"

"Uhuh," she said quietly with a slight nod.

"I can't quite be sure," Sid finally spoke up as he examined the bruising on Lindsay's neck a bit more closely, "but that looks more like a hickey than a plain bruise. What do you think, Peyton?" he said, pointing to a spot under Lindsay's left ear.

Mortified, Lindsay quickly swatted his hand away from her neck and slapped her own, over the hickey, as she shot Danny a 'you're going to get it' look.

In return, Danny just flashed a smug grin, as everyone else in the room chuckled; thankful for once that Sid's peculiar sense of humor had caused a break in the rising tension.

"All joking aside Lindsay, I am glad that you're back and doing well" He finally conceded, before gently hugging her and returning to his seat next to Peyton, who was sitting next to Mac.

Next, Adam walked up to Lindsay and Danny.

"Hi, Danny"

"Hi, Adam"

"Lindsay, I'm glad you're back and okay. Well, not okay, okay, but you're doing better than you were a few days ago. That's a good thing, because the last time I saw you, you weren't doing that well and everyone was concerned. I'm glad you left that guy, because no one has a right to treat you like that; not that I'm glad you had to have this happen to get away from him, because I'm sure it really sucks, but I'm glad things are getting better, even though being stalked must suck too, but at leas…" his mouth moving as if it were running the one minute mile, as he rambled on, before Lindsay interrupted him.

"Adam, breathe!" she said with a laugh as the high-strung lab tech blushed and looked away from her.

"Sorry. It's just that I get nervous and I start talking and things just come out of my mouth and I can't make it stop."

Everyone in the room laughed as the jumpy man began to ramble once more.

"Adam, it's okay! I'm glad to be back. I've missed everyone and everything; including your rambling." she admitted kindly as she gave him a friendly smile.

Adam smiled back, nervously and took his seat. Lindsay always made him nervous for some reason. Sure, he liked her, not like _that_ mind you,but he and everyone else in the lab, knew that she was Danny's…umm…that she was Danny's…well…she was Danny's!

_I've seen what Lindsay is like when she's irritated with me._

He thought back to the Lillian Stanwick murder and how aggravated she was when he told her he would need some time to isolate the genetic profiles of the semen they'd recovered from the body. The case had gotten to her, just like Sarah Butler.

_That's why she was aggravated with me._

Even so, Adam didn't want to aggravate her, especially now, when she was under a lot of stress.

_Yeah, that's what it is. I don't want to stress her out anymore. That's why I'm nervous. I don't have a crush on her. She belongs to Danny, anyway. Geez, I even ramble when I think._

"Lindsay, Danny, have a seat. We have a lot of work to do, in order to find out who's doing this to you." Mac said as he gestured to two empty chairs between Stella and Hawkes.

In a show of courtesy and respect for her, Danny pulled out the chair next to Stella, for Lindsay.

"Thank you"

In response, Danny smiled kindly and gave her shoulder and affectionate squeeze, before taking his seat to her right.

"You up for this kiddo?" Stella leaned over and whispered in Lindsay's ear.

Lindsay nodded.

"I can do this. I have to do this if I want to get my life back," came the determined reply.

"You're a tough cookie Linds. We're gonna get this bastard!" Flack stated resolutely.

Mac nodded in agreement before speaking.

"Okay, we have your phone records Lindsay, so I want you and Hawkes to go over those. Highlight any number you can't account for. Stella, you and I are on security detail. I want Lindsay under 24-hr surveillance. I want her cell phone and house phone tapped."

Stella nodded and got up to begin her part in protecting her friend.

"Flack, I want you and Danny to make a list. I want you to go through past case files from here and anyone in Bozeman that could possibly want revenge for being put away. I want you to find Kevin's mother, sister and anyone else that he could convince to harass her."

Mac stopped talking for a minute and focused on Danny.

"We need to eliminate everyone from Kevin's dog to Sonny Sassone. Got it?"

_Great. And now my past could be coming back to fuck with the best thing that's ever happened to me. Way to show her what a great catch you are, Messer. _

"We're on top of it, boss." Danny answered.

"Come on, Dan. Let's go work on narrowing our suspect list." Flack motioned for his friend to follow him.

"Linds, call me if you need anything." Danny instructed her as he followed Flack out the door.

Lindsay smiled and turned her attention to the box Hawkes had moved from the floor to the table.

Quickly, everyone set about their tasks, and Lindsay and Hawkes were left alone to pour over phone records.

"So, you and Danny, huh?" Hawkes broke the silence after several minutes.

"Yeah, me and Danny" Lindsay replied a little forlorn.

"You're…"

"Together? Yeah, we are." She finished his question and answered it.

"You seem a little bit… unenthusiastic about it." He chose his words carefully.

"I'm not unhappy about it, believe me. I know being with Danny is somewhat of a hot commodity around here. It's just…" She sighed solemnly, leaving the sentence hanging.

"It's just what?"

"It's just not fair, ya know? I love Danny. And he loves me. And now that we're finally together, someone wants to come along and ruin it!"

"So, you love him? And he loves you? You've said the words to each other?"

Lindsay smiled and nodded.

"I'm really happy for you, Linds. You two really deserve to be happy."

"Thanks."

"Danny's not going to let anything happen to you Lindsay. He would die before he ever let anyone hurt you. So would the rest of us. We're a family Linds, and we are going to do whatever it takes to keep you safe."

"Thanks Sheldon. It really means a lot to me that everyone cares about me. It's like having a whole other family away from my family. If that makes any sense." Lindsay replied, genuinely grateful for his words.

"You're welcome. We may not be the Montana family you grew up with; but we're a family of our own making, and we love you just the same."

Sheldon flashed his most heartfelt smile at his pseudo sister, before continuing:

"Now, let's get back to this call log and figure out who could be doing this!" Hawkes declared with renewed enthusiasm and determination.

Two hours later, the team reconvened in the conference room with Hawkes and Lindsay.

"How far did you two get on the phone records?" Mac asked, once everyone had been seated.

"All the numbers highlighted in blue are from my family's home phones. The ones in green are their cell phones. Numbers in pink are from friends. Orange is from people at the lab. There three highlighted in yellow are numbers I don't recognize." Lindsay explained what the color coding system meant.

"Two of the unrecognized numbers came back as telemarketers, but this one," Hawkes pointed to a 631 area code, "came back to a pay phone in Central Islip."

"That's interesting," Flack piped in, looking at a piece of paper.

"What makes that so interesting?" Lindsay asked; her inborn curiosity overtaking her as a rip tide would a swimmer.

"Lisa Alexander," Flack slid a booking photo to the center of the table for everyone too see, "was released from Bedford Hills Correctional Facility two months ago. According to her P.O. she was staying at a halfway house in Suffolk County upon release. More specifically in Central Islip."

"Does she have an alibi for her whereabouts when the call was made?" Stella chimed in, hoping they could rule out Kevin's sister as a suspect.

"See, that's the problem," Danny began to explain. "She was released from prison after serving time for possession with intent to sell, and as of a month ago, her P.O. can't find her."

"We need to find her so we can either rule her out as a suspect or put an end to this," Mac stated firmly.

"That's just the tip of the iceberg, Mac" Flack explained as he slid a snapshot of Kevin and an older woman across the table next to Lisa's picture.

"Rosa Alexander; Kevin's mom. Conveniently M.I.A since she left the hospital shortly before Kevin died."

"Are they the only suspects we have?" Lindsay asked worriedly.

"'Fraid not Montana," Danny broke the news as gently as he could.

"Okay, who else do we have? Anyone from Montana that you've found? The boyfriend involved in the shooting?" Mac questioned, shooting a concerned look at Lindsay.

"Seth Howard's still in prison where he belongs." Flack answered.

"Sonny Sassone?"

"Still in prison, waiting on that one way trip to hell we promised him."

"Well then, who else could there possibly be?" Hawkes spoke up, exasperated.

"James Vackner" Danny broke the news quietly, unable to look Lindsay in the eye as he said the name of a man that had haunted her dreams for almost a year.

"Ex- ex- excuse me?" Lindsay croaked out the question.

"He broke out of Sing Sing a week ago, Linds. " Flack told her

"I know how much that case got to you Lindsay. I didn't want to worry you, so I made the decision to keep it from you." Mac explained.

"Did you know?" Lindsay asked, turning her gaze to Danny.

"You had a lot on your plate, and I didn't want to add more by telling you about this."

"Danny," she said, her voice betraying the hurt she felt at being lied to.

"I'm sorry I lied to you Linds. I was just trying to protect you, and I didn't think he'd be a threat to you." He spoke sincerely, hoping she would accept his apology.

Lindsay just nodded, and turned to Mac.

"Is there anything else I need to know?"

"No, you now have all the same information as everyone else." Mac answered.

She didn't say so, but Mac could see it in her eyes that she was angry with him for keeping this from her. She had every right to be, he knew that, but he also believed he had acted in her best interest by not coming forth with that information, and asking Danny to keep it quiet as well.

"Okay," Lindsay took a deep breath to compose herself. She knew Mac was just acting in her best interest, but it still hurt that this had been kept from her. "Now that everyone is on the same page, what's the game plan?"

"Well, your home and cell phone both have a tap on them. If you get any suspicious mail or email, follow evidence protocol and let us know immediately. I'll have surveillance on you 24/7, and I don't want you to be alone. Understood?"

Lindsay nodded that she understood, and shifted in her chair uncomfortably as the pain in her ribs and back, told her it had been entirely too long since she'd had her pain medication. Fishing the bottle from her jacket pocket, she downed two pills with a swallow of water.

Seeing this as the perfect time to get her home so they could talk, hopefully before she fell asleep, Danny spoke up.

"You ready to head home, Montana?"

Realizing just how tired she actually was from the past few hours, Lindsay nodded and stood up.

Everyone said their goodbyes, and watched as Danny gently placed his hand on Lindsay's back and walked her to the elevator, the look of concern never leaving his face.

"I hope they'll be okay" Stella spoke as she watched them disappear from sight.

"They'll be fine. They love each other." Flack said, squeezing her knee under the table.

"Of course they will. Love can conquer all. "Hawkes said with a smile.


	13. Move Along

Ch. 13 Move Along

A/N: CSI: NY isn't mine. I'm only borrowing the characters for entertainment purposes only. Any similarities between this story and an actual episode, is merely coincidental. Any events, names, place, etc. that appear in the show and are mentioned here, are just for clarity. Don't sue, and for crying out loud DON"T PLAGARIZE my work! I put my heart and soul into this, so please don't copy and paste my work and claim it as your own. If you see something you like and would like to use the name/place or a specific line, please pm me and ask permission first.

A/N 2: A big thanks goes out to my beta **SallyJetson** for her patience, work and encouragement along the way. Other big thanks goes out to **DKM** for being a great sounding board for me and listening to my whining about not being able to get things just the way I want them!

_Speak to me, when all you got to keep is strong  
Move along, move along like I know ya do  
And even when your hope is gone  
Move along, move along just to make it through move along_

_The All-American Rejects "Move Along"_

The gentle rain pitter pattered along the window pane reminiscent of the pitter patter of little feet running around the apartment, as Lindsay laid sleeping peacefully in her bed; well to be accurate, she was pretty much sleeping on Danny, but still, they were in her bed.

Danny tried to shift his position, yet it was nearly impossible to do. Wearily, he opened his eyes to see what was weighing him down and was greeted with the vision of chestnut curls spread haphazardly on his chest. Sleepily, he smiled, and, with one hand, gingerly brushed the mussed up hair away from the beautiful face it was blocking. He saw the gentle contours of her cheek, jaw, and the relaxed smile that only seemed to grace her face when she was asleep these days.

_I know you're stressed out with all that's been going on lately, Montana. We're gonna figure out who's doing this to you. Just hold on a little bit longer. I know you can do it. You'll smile again; I promise. _

As Danny gave his silent vow, moisture began to collect in his eyes. Quickly, he blinked it away. Danny Messer didn't cry. The last time he had cried, was when Louie was beaten half to death. Sure, Louie was alive, but Danny knew that he would never be Louie again. Whenever he saw Louie in his present state at the nursing home, he couldn't help but wonder if death would have been a more merciful thing to happen instead of this…this…permanently brain damaged state he existed in.

_God, if you exist, don't let anything happen to Lindsay. She's my world. I don't think I could stand it if something happened to her. You let Louie be taken away from me, before I got the chance to tell him how much I loved him, or that I forgave him. Don't take her too. _

Praying wasn't something Danny did. Ever since Louie had been beaten, he'd lost faith in there being a God. And now, now, Lindsay was being stalked and threatened. Danny had to wonder why whatever divine force out there, in charge of the world, would let this happen in the first place. Why Lindsay? What did she do to hurt anyone? For the life of him, Danny couldn't think of a single reason. Lindsay was the most gentle, personable, loving person he'd ever met. Why someone would want to kill her, was just beyond him.

Shifting his attention from such depressing thoughts, Danny looked back at the living doll in his arms. Gently, he ran his fingertips down the silky skin stretching from her shoulder to her hand. Leaving her hand, he sifted his fingers through her tawny curls, savoring the silky feel, and briefly recalling a time when he thought he'd never get a chance to be with her like this. Smiling to himself, he brought his large fingers to her delicate face, running the rough pads along her cheek and jaw, before bringing his thumb to brush over her bottom lip.

Lindsay grunted annoyingly, as she twitched her lip and shifted her face more into his chest, allowing her soft, slow breathing to caress his upper abdomen. Danny let go a shiver that shook him to the core, at the purely sensual feeling of her hot breath on his quickly heating skin.

_Alright my sweet Montana woman, it's time for you to wake up and greet the day…or at least let me see those beautiful eyes of yours. _

With that thought in mind, the handsome detective raised his hand, and with careful precision, poked her button nose just hard enough to make her scrunch it up like a cat about to sneeze.

_Oh, now that's just adorable! _

Another moment of watching her, and Lindsay did indeed, sneeze. Slowly, she blinked allowing her eyes to adjust to the dim light in the room, to look at the person who had disturbed peaceful slumber, which served as the only respite she got from the nightmare that had become her conscious reality lately.

"Hey" she mumbled sleepily, giving him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Hey yourself" he whispered back, a loving smile gracing his face.

"Why did you do that?"

"Do what?" He asked, feigning innocence.

"Wake me up."

"I wanted to look into those beautiful eyes of yours," he said quietly and let his lips brush against hers lightly.

"You interrupted my dream," she informed him, once the kiss was broken.

"What dream did I interrupt?"

"The dream where it's just you and me being happy, and life isn't a living hell with someone trying to kill us," she replied mournfully.

Her words, the tone of her voice, and the down trodden expression on her face, all combined to tear at Danny's heartstrings. Right at this moment, he would give the world to make all this go away, and her dream come true.

"Baby, I am so sorry this is all happening. If I could fix it, I would. You know that right?"

"I know. But you can't. No one can. It's out of everyone's control, and whatever this guy is gonna do, is gonna happen and no one can stop it. This thing…it's like a runaway semi truck on a collision course. You can see it coming, but there's nothing you can do except hope for the best," she replied quietly, her gaze downcast.

"Look at me Linds. Come on, look at me," Danny commanded gently, but forcefully enough for her to know he meant business.

Despite the command in his tone, Lindsay continued to avoid eye contact, prompting Danny to lift her eyes to his, with two fingers under her chin.

"This sucks, I know. But we need to make the best of what we have; right here, right now. It's Thanksgiving sweetie. Our first Thanksgiving as an us. Now if you ask me, that's something to be thankful for."

"I know. I'm glad to be with you, celebrating our first holiday as a couple. Really, I am. I just wish I could shake this feeling that it's going to be our last holiday together," she explained, placing a tender kiss right over his heart when she was done.

"We're gonna have many more happy celebrations to come Montana. I promise you that. Mac, Stella, Flack, Hawkes, and even Adam are working non-stop to figure out who's doing this and put the son of a bitch behind bars where they belong."

"Danny, I know you're trying to make me feel better, and I appreciate it, really" Lindsay started, keeping her face as serious as she could, "but mentioning our co-workers and especially our boss, when we're in bed is just wrong on so many levels," she informed him, ending with the first genuine smile he'd seen from her, in at least three weeks.

Seeing a sliver of the old Lindsay emerge, Danny couldn't help but join in on her uplifted mood at the situation, and he chuckled, before pressing his lips into her hair, and inhaling the intoxicating lavender/vanilla scent of her shampoo.

"I suppose talking about Mac and Stella in bed, is kind of like discussing our parents, isn't it?" He smirked impishly at her.

"I refuse to talk about my Mom and Dad in bed with you, Detective." She replied, getting up. "I'm going to go get a shower."

"Want some company?" Danny waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Of course I _want_ company; but I _don't_ want bite marks on me when I meet your family this afternoon."

"You can wear a turtleneck." He suggested hopefully.

Lindsay Monroe had just admitted she was ready to take their relationship to the next level, why should things as trivial as love bites and family get in the way of that?

"No! I'm wearing my turquoise sweater." She said with an air of finality. "Besides, you don't want us to rush this do you?" She asked as she grabbed a towel and headed into the bathroom, adding an extra bit of sashay to her hips.

_Damn that woman! Although, she does have a point, we can take all the time in the world…later._

With that thought and the sound of the shower turning on, Danny hurried out of the bedroom to make breakfast, to squelch entertaining ideas of surprising her in the shower.

Ten minutes later, Lindsay stepped back into the bedroom, a towel wrapped around her and her hair still wet.

_Danny's right. Today is a day to be thankful for what I have, and not worry about what might or might not happen._

With that thought, she grabbed her turquoise sweater, her favorite pair of grey jeans and black, 1.5" heeled ankle boots. She sat them next to the bed, and wandered over to her chest of drawers. Unnoticed, Danny snuck back into the room, watching her sift through the top drawer, finding the items she was seeking, tossing them on the bed behind her then closing the drawer.

Quietly setting down the mug of coffee he'd made for her, Danny approached her, quickly wrapped his arms around her waist, anchored her back to his chest, causing Lindsay to gasp in surprise and tense in his grasp, ready to whirl on whoever had hold of her.

"Relax, it's just me" he whispered against her skin and placed a tender kiss on her bare shoulder.

"You scared the hell out of me" she breathed a sigh of relief, as she turned placed her palm against his stubbly cheek and kissed his temple.

"Sorry" he mumbled as he continued a trail of nibbling and sucking kisses up her neck to her jaw.

"I need to get dressed"

"I made you coffee."

"Where is it?"

"On the table" he said just before claiming her willing lips in a delectably, sensual kiss.

Lindsay allowed the kiss to continue. Danny's tongue slipped between her acquiescent lips, teasing, testing, but not satisfying the burning flame of desire his talented mouth was stoking. When his hand slipped inside the towel, his fingertips barely brushing the silky, smooth skin of her stomach, she grabbed hold of his wrist and, with a reluctant groan, pulled away from the kiss, smiling.

"Uh uh, hands above the towel Danny" She playfully scolded, not missing the look on his face when she pulled away from his lips and tangled her fingers with the fingers of his, now extracted, hand.

"If we hurry, we won't be late and I promise not to leave any marks" He held his hand up in a scout's honor gesture.

Lindsay giggled, "When have you ever been a boy scout, Danny?"

"Come on Linds. Just let me love you. What's the harm in that?" He asked gently.

"The harm, Cowboy, is that the last time I let you love me, I had Sid Hammerback pointing out a hickey to the _entire _team."

Danny let out a bark of laughter before he could help himself but the glare he got in return was more than enough to hush him up.

"Now, Montana that was just making out. Letting me totally love you is much better, I guarantee."

"In other words, I won't be able to leave the house for a week," she supplied with an amused smile at him.

Danny just shrugged in response.

"Why don't you take a cold shower, while I get dressed?"

"Is that your country way of telling me you used up all the hot water?"

"Shower, now, before we're actually late!" She playfully ordered and pointed in the direction of the bathroom.

"Yes ma'am," he replied and gave a mock salute before marching in the direction she pointed; the last thing he heard before closing the door, was her genuinely happy laughter.

_I have got to get her to do that more often._

When Danny reemerged into the bedroom, clad only in a white towel, the small space was vacant, but he could distinctly hear Lindsay on the phone with who he could only assume was a family member.

When he finally emerged into the living room/kitchen area, he caught the end of her conversation as he poured himself a large cup of steaming, black coffee.

_I know Mom. I will. _

Lindsay nodded and turned around to face him as she rolled her eyes at something her mother said before responding.

_I wish I could have come home this year too, but with everything that's going on, that just wasn't possible. _

Another few seconds of tense silence passed as Lindsay listened.

_Yes mom, the stalking is everything that's going on. I know. You're right. _

She checked her watch as her mom kept talking and gave Danny a bemused look.

_Mom, I'm not being smart._

She rolled her eyes.

_No Mom, I'm not rolling my eyes. _

Danny stifled a laugh as he made the "shame" sign at her.

_Mom, all this is going to be over soon, and when it is, I'll come home for a visit, I promise. I'll even bring Danny. He's never seen a real cow or a wheat field before. You guys are going to love him, trust me. _

She grinned at her boyfriend across the small kitchen.

_Okay, I'll tell him. Mom, I really have to get going, before we're late. Yes, Danny and I are having dinner with his family. That's right, real food. Tell Daddy that I love him. Tell Jason as well. I'll see you all soon. Don't worry. I love you too. Bye Mom. _

"Setting me up on a hot date with a cow and a wheat field are ya?"

"Eventually, I plan on it. It just depends on when this whole nightmare is over"

"Soon sweetie. It'll all be over soon," Danny replied and took two large strides to stand in front of her and envelope her in the safety of his strong embrace.

"I know. It's just that…well, this is a crappy start to a relationship, don't you think?" she questioned, snuggling closer to his warmth.

Knowing that he couldn't say anything to make her feel better, Danny just nodded and pressed a kiss into her hair. "You look beautiful," he whispered into her ear, as he brushed a stray lock that fell down from her French twist, behind said ear.

"Thanks. You look nice yourself," she said, grabbing up her cell phone and clipping it to her belt.

"Ready to go?" Danny asked already walking towards the front hall.

"Yeah" she said and saw that he was ready to help her on with her jacket.

Lindsay stretched up on her tiptoes and kissed him in thanks, before they walked out the door together.

"What did your mom have to say?" Danny asked, as they made their way down to the lobby in the rarely working elevator.

"She said to tell you hello and Happy Thanksgiving. And Dad said you better be taking good care of me."

"Is that all?" he asked, seeing that she seemed a bit distracted as they stepped out into the lobby of the seven story apartment building.

"She wants me to go back there. Says it would be safer to be away from here."

"What do you think?"

"Well, it's kind of hard to argue with the idea of being safer if my stalker is 1,880 miles away from me! At least there I'm not a prisoner in my own home, going from home to work and back, only allowed out on rare occasions like this, and never alone!" she snapped, not able to hold back the tears of frustration and isolation as they spilled down her cheeks.

Stopping in front of the truck, Danny cupped her face in his hands, wiping away the tears with the pad of his thumb before lightly brushing his lips over her own.

"Look, I know how independent you are and I can only imagine how frustrating this must be for you. It is for me too; but everyone just wants what's best for you."

"Well I wish everyone would stop deciding that it's best for me to be in a virtual prison with no clemency in sight," she mumbled as he opened the door for her to slide into the passenger seat.

Sighing, Danny jogged around to the other side and didn't speak until he was buckled in, with keys in the ignition.

"No one wants you in a virtual prison Lindsay. But on the same token, no one, especially me, wants anything to happen to you. Just hang in there a little longer. You've already been such a trooper through all this. We're going to rap this up, I promise, and when we do, I'll gladly go meet whatever cow, horse, goat or chicken you want me too. Okay?"

Despite her less than cheery outlook, she couldn't help but chuckle at his proposal to go all Old McDonald, if that's what she wanted.

"Okay"

Smiling at the lessened tension, Danny cranked the engine.

"Let's go have a good old fashioned Messer Thanksgiving!" he proclaimed and pulled out of the tight parking space, heading towards the nursing home and the brother it broke his heart to see.

Lurking in the shadows of the apartments across the street, a figure shrouded in black from head to toe, watching as the young couple departed for however long she was allowed to be out this time. From the constant observation of her over the weeks, the figure knew Lindsay wasn't out for long, unless she was at work, and she was never alone.

"Soon. Very soon Lindsay, you'll get what you deserve," the figure mumbled as it slinked further into the shadows marked only by the distinct glow of a cigarette, plotting the horror to be thrust upon the young couple.


	14. I'm Moving On

Ch 14 I'm Moving On

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI: NY or its characters. In addition, I do not own Louie Messer or Brunswick Nursing Home. However, I do own, Salvatore, Edana and "the shadow, mysterious figure, the voice, et al". Same rules as before apply. You like something and want to borrow, then please PM me and ask permission first. Oh, and as much as I would like to, I don't own the Rascal Flatts.

A/N: Thanks to **SallyJetson **and **DKM** for the beta!

* * *

_I've dealt with my ghosts  
And faced all my demons  
Finally content with the past I regret  
I found you find strength in your moments of weakness  
For once I'm at peace with my self  
I've been burdened with blame  
Trapped in the past for too long  
I'm movin on_

"_I'm Moving On" –Rascal Flatts_

It was 12:30pm before Danny maneuvered the truck into the parking space at Brunswick Nursing Home; where he and Lindsay would meet up with his mom and dad to share Thanksgiving with Louie. With the traffic and the rain, it took the pair an hour to make the normal 45 minute drive to Amityville from Lindsay's place in Flushing, Queens.

"You ready for this?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm ready. Are you?" she replied; an eyebrow rose quizzically.

Knowing what her question meant, but not sure of the answer, Danny quickly shifted gears into doing what he did best: making sure Lindsay would be okay.

"Remember what I said last night? If you get freaked out or anything and can't handle it, just let me know and we'll leave. I've talked to my mom about you and your issues with hospitals, so…"

"Danny, I'll be fine," she interrupted, and hopped out of the truck.

"Oookay, just checkin' is all" he said and hopped out in kind, walking beside her.

Sighing, Lindsay slipped her small hand into his larger one as they headed for the elevator.

Danny was just looking out for her; and Lindsay knew that. With her emotional state lately, she knew Danny didn't want to add any more baggage that may cause her to break. After the shooting, she'd spent two weeks in the hospital recovering from surgery then another six weeks in a rehabilitation facility regaining the use of her right arm, and strengthening the weakened muscles of her back.

_Any person in their right mind would be soured on any kind of hospital setting after that kind of trauma._

Upon entering the elevator, Danny hit the button for the 3rd floor where Louie resided, along with the other seriously injured patients. Once the elevator started the short ascent, Lindsay laid her head on Danny's thick bicep and quietly whispered.

"Thank you"

"What are you thanking me for?" he asked, looking down at the top of her honey colored head.

"For thinking of me first; despite what's waiting upstairs, you're worried about me. Thank you for that."

"I'll always think of you first, Montana. You've always been there for me. Even when I was an irritating pain in the ass, you were still there, doing your job and proving that you deserved this job and my respect. When everything is wrong, you're the one thing left in this world that I _know_ is good. You make me strive to be a better person, Lindsay. I should be the one thanking you."

Tilting her chin to rest on his shoulder and look him in the eye, Lindsay smiled. It was a watery, emotional smile. One that said she knew she was loved, and despite everything, she was glad he hadn't left her.

"I love you," she choked out, on a sob.

"I love you too," he replied, sweetly kissing away her tears as the elevator dinged on their floor. "You sure you're ready for this? Meeting the parents is a big step, Montana."

"I'm ready for this Danny. I already love your family just from hearing about them. Now I want to meet the people responsible for raising one of New York's finest," she said, blatantly checking him out as she said her last three words.

"Don't think I missed the double meaning of 'New York's finest' there, Montana," Danny said cheekily, as he led her down the hall to room 3314, his hand resting protectively, on the small of her back.

"Didn't think you would, Messer" she replied with a grin, as they came to a halt in front of a large wooden door.

* * *

Upon entering the room, Lindsay immediately noticed Louie, sitting up in a wheelchair, at a table by the large window in the room. To his left were the people she recognized from pictures, Salvatore and Edana Messer, Danny's parents. As she took in the forced cheerfulness of the room, Danny couldn't tear his gaze away from the person that was now just a shell of the Louie he had grown up with. Gripping Lindsay's small, trembling hand, Danny pep talked himself as they moved farther into the room.

_I can do this. It's Thanksgiving after all, a time to spend with family and loved ones. I'm here with my family and the woman I love more than anything. I can do this. We can do this. I'm okay. She's okay. What a minute. Is she trembling? She is. Okay Messer, time to focus. _

With his self pep talk and distraction set in his mind, Danny leaned into Lindsay's ear and whispered.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, it's just nerves. I'll be fine," she whispered back and smiled at the older adults that rose from the table to greet them.

"Danny!" his father greeted cheerfully as he pulled his son into a hug. Once Danny was released, it was his mother's turn to greet her youngest child.

"And who have we here?" Sal inquired, turning his full attention to Lindsay.

"Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Lindsay Monroe." Danny proudly introduced the pretty young woman, who currently still had a pretty good grip on his hand.

"Hi Lindsay. It's so nice to meet you, finally!" Ana greeted and gently hugged the young woman.

"It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Messer," Lindsay greeted politely, using the elder woman's formal name, just as her mother had taught her as a youngster.

"Oh please, darling, call me Ana. Mrs. Messer is my mother-in-law's name."

Danny chuckled at this, remembering that his Mom and Nona hadn't gotten along in particular. Carlotta Messer was born and raised in Naples, Italy. She married a good Italian man, and had expected her son to marry a good Italian woman. When Sal had brought home Edana, a 19-yr old Irish girl, his mother had been furious and proclaimed she wouldn't support the relationship. She'd learned to deal with her son's choice in a woman, but it was a well known family tale that neither woman had liked each other that much. Danny was pleased to see that his Mom and Lindsay would get along better than his Mom and Nona did.

_Not that I'm planning to propose marriage. It's still way too soon for that. But if I do, Mom and Lindsay will get along just fine. _

With the first set of introductions out of the way, it was Sal's turn to make Lindsay's acquaintance.

"Lindsay! It's a pleasure to meet you! Danny has told us so much about you!" Sal said enthusiastically, pulling the small woman into a fatherly hug.

"It's nice to meet you sir," she replied, being just as polite as she was earlier.

"Call me Sal," the overweight, balding man said, flashing a charming smile which instantly put her at ease.

_So that's where Danny gets it from! _ She thought comfortably, when she saw Danny's smile radiating from his father.

"Lindsay, why don't you come sit, and I'll introduce you to Louie?" Ana suggested, and with one final look at Danny, she went to meet the man at the table who'd quietly been watching the happenings before him.

As soon as the two women were seated at the table, Sal spoke to Danny.

"Danny il mio figlio, siete di destra, è molto graziosa e così dolce. Perchè la abbiamo venuta a contatto di prima di ora?"

"Dad, abbiamo iniziato appena datare poco sopra un mese fa. Lindsay è stato attraverso mólto e ci è occorr molto tempo ottenere a questo punto."

"Deve essere molto speciale a voi allora. Ciò è il primo girlfriend di il vostro che abbiamo venuto a contatto di da quando avete cominciato all'università," Sal finished with a grin, at his son.

"Sì, dad, è molto speciale a me," Danny replied and went to take his seat between Lindsay and Louie.

When he sat down, Lindsay shot him a questioning look to which Danny whispered in her ear, " He likes you."

Having learned quite a bit of Italian over the years, Ana knew exactly what Sal had said, and smiled warmly at the young couple as a flush of pink rushed across Lindsay's cheeks.

"Danny, since Lindsay is your guest, why don't you introduce her to Louie?" Ana suggested with a smile that told her son it wasn't a question, but a direct order.

Danny smiled at his mom, before turning to his brother, placing a hand on his shoulder, before speaking.

"Hey Louie, how ya doing?"

"Hi D…Danny. I'm a…a…alright, I guess," he spoke slowly to minimize the stuttering that now plagued his speech.

"That's good. Guess what?"

"What?"

"I have a girlfriend now and I want you to meet her," Danny said happily.

"A g…g…girl…f…f…friend? You? R…r…really?" was his reply, stuttering more than usual, on the bigger word.

At the larger man's response, Lindsay chuckled slightly, earning her a playful glare from Danny and another set of chuckles from his parents.

"Everyone's a comedian today," he muttered before making formal introductions.

"Louie, this is Lindsay, you might remembering me referring to her as Montana though."

"Hi Louie, it's nice to finally meet you," Lindsay spoke sweetly.

"Hi," he replied, and gave her his own version of the famous Messer grin.

_It must be on the Y chromosome or something._

* * *

After the prayer had been said, the turkey and all the fixings were passed around, and soon the group of people had settled into companionable conversation with Danny's parents making every effort to put Lindsay at ease and get to know her better.

"Lindsay, Danny tells us you come from Bozeman, Montana. I can only imagine that coming to New York was a huge change for you," Sal spoke, genuinely curious to get to know the young woman that had captured his son's untamed heart.

Considering her answer carefully, Lindsay took a sip of her drink before answering.

"Yes, it really was a huge change for me. A much needed change, but still, it was quite a shock. I've never met anyone that would name me after my home state before," she answered, flashing a teasing grin at Danny.

"I started that just to irritate you, but it stuck. You like it now, admit it," he teased back with a smirk.

"If your intention was to irritate me, you did a fantastic job at it." She looked at his parents and Louie, before continuing.

"I've grown used to it now, and even come to expect that you'll call me that, unless something is wrong, then it's Lindsay."

"See, I knew you liked it," came his triumphant reply.

"I never said I _liked _it, Danny. I said I'm used to it now. I refuse to admit that I like it." She teased lightly.

"Just be glad you aren't from Iowa."

"Touché"

"What's your family like Lindsay? Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Edana interrupted the playful, flirty banter after a couple minutes of just watching, and smiling.

"Well, I grew up with one brother, Jason. He's six years older than me and very protective. My Mom and Dad are good people. Mom is a retired science teacher and Dad runs the ranch. Jason and his wife Tracy live on the property and he helps my Dad run it. They have a little girl, Kendall. She's two." Lindsay explained, smiling fondly as she talked about her family.

"I sense that you have a special fondness for your niece. Do you like kids?" Ana queried in response to the pensive look on Lindsay's face.

"Yes, Kendall is very special to me. I haven't seen her, since I moved here but she's still very special to me, and I like kids in general anyway."

"Do you want kids one day?" she asked, seeing this as the perfect opportunity to see how serious Lindsay was about her relationship with Danny, even this early on.

_It's never too early to consider such things._

"Ma!" Danny barked in shock, at the boldness of her question.

"Now, Daniel, I'm just trying to get to know your girlfriend a bit better. What's the harm in that?" she replied sweetly, but firmly.

_Asking her questions we haven't even discussed yet. Yeah, no harm in that at all; unless you consider scaring her off harmful. _Danny thought sarcastically.

Sensing his uneasiness with the situation Lindsay placed a reassuring hand on his knee, and squeezed gently before easily fielding the question which she'd heard from her mother at least 1,000 times since she'd graduated high school.

"To be perfectly honest, I've never been in a relationship long enough or one stable enough, to actually consider having children. But with the right person, I wouldn't be opposed to having children," she answered, easily sending the message that she and Danny were no where near ready to make that leap in their lives.

Both Ana and Sal smiled and nodded their agreement. It was nice to see a young woman give an honest answer, instead of one that would placate the parents. In that instant, they both knew that Lindsay wasn't the kind of woman to just tell someone what they wanted to hear, if it wasn't truly what she was thinking.

"You said your parents own a farm? What kind of animals did you grow up around?" Sal supplied a different direction for the conversation to go. He knew that Ana really wanted grandchildren one day, and he also knew the only way that would happen, is if Danny found the right woman.

"Well, just like any farm, we always had chickens, and the occasional goat and pig around; but we always had at least 3 dogs too. I loved having the dogs around. I miss them." She spoke whimsically of her childhood canine companions. "But my Dad's main purpose for the farm was the horses and cattle he bred."

Ana's face lit up at the mention of horses. When she was a young girl growing up in the countryside of Dublin, Ireland her grandparents had horses on their farm.

"He breeds horses? What kind does he breed?" she asked enthusiastically, excited that they could bond over more than just a love for Danny.

Lindsay smiled, "He breeds Missouri Fox Trotting and Quarter Horses; as well as Holstein Cattle"

"Those are the big black and white cows that make milk," she turned and explained to Danny wryly, knowing he really couldn't care less.

"Of course. How many other kinds of cows are there?"

"Lots! And the correct terminology is cattle," she informed as she sat her napkin down next to her empty plate.

"Ana, this was a wonderful meal! Thank you both for inviting me!"

"I'm so glad you could come! Meeting you has been nothing but a pleasure."

Before she could reply, Lindsay's cell phone began to ring, playing Tim McGraw's 'Cowboy in Me'. Looking to confirm, that it was indeed a family member Lindsay flipped open the phone and answered the way she always did.

"Monroe" She listened for a moment before speaking again, "Jason! Hi! Happy Thanksgiving to you too!" She spoke animatedly into the phone as she stood up; pointing to the door, indicating where she was going. Danny nodded his understanding and she walked into the hallway, to continue talking.

Once Lindsay had left the room, Ana stood up, and began placing half the leftovers into containers for Danny and Lindsay to take with them.

"Mom, you don't need to give us all that…" Danny began, but was cut off by the portly woman's answer.

"Danny, you need to feed that girl up!"

_I've been trying to do that practically since the day we met. It's not my fault she just recently started taking me up on the offers. _

Despite his thoughts, Danny kept the comeback to himself and just nodded his agreement.

"She's so thin and pale. And she looks tired too. Is she sick? If she's sick, she really needs to take care to eat more," Ana said, effortlessly going into mother mode.

"Mom, she's not sick, she just has a lot on her plate right now and is really stressed out."

"I take it this stalking issue hasn't been resolved yet?" Sal cut in, dryly.

Knowing his father's disdain for police in general, Danny braced himself for the inevitable disapproval of the way things were being handled.

"No Dad, it hasn't, but we have a narrow suspect list. Now it's just a matter of finding them."

Sal nodded stiffly. "Well, if you need help resolving this before someone gets hurt, I have some friends that might be of service to you."

Taking off his glasses, Danny massaged the bridge of his nose, where he felt a headache brewing before answering.

"Dad, I appreciate the concern, but I think I can speak for Lindsay as well as myself, when I say we'd like to have this whole mess resolved as neatly, and legally, as possible."

"Okay, I get it. You're cops and you want to go the cop route," Sal held up his hands in defeat, "but if you change your mind, the offer is still on the table, okay?"

"Thanks Dad" Danny replied wearily, slipping his glasses back on, and looking in Louie's direction.

"Sal, why don't you help me take this stuff down to the car?" Ana suggested giving him her 'don't argue, just do as I say' look, when he opened his mouth to protest that it was only one cooler to carry.

Sighing, he picked up the cooler and followed his wife out into the hallway, where they spied Lindsay sitting in the lobby still on the phone.

"What was that about?" Sal questioned his wife.

"I think Danny and Louie need some time alone to talk, you know, brother to brother."

* * *

Once the door was closed, Danny packed the containers into a plastic bag and then refreshed his and Louie's drinks before sitting to start this long overdue and difficult talk.

"Hey, Lou, uh, listen…I was hoping we'd get a chance to talk."

Louie looked on, trying to grip his cup, despite his spastic hands, but failed. After the third time of watching his brother try and grab the cup, Danny stepped in and offered his help.

"Hey, you need some help with that, man?"

Louie nodded and grasped the cup carefully with Danny's help.

"Thanks"

"No problem. You're my brother, and that's what brothers do; help each other out, right?"

"R…r…right."

Gathering his thoughts, Danny decided there was no real easy way to say this, which would automatically absolve all his guilt over what happened to Louie, so he decided the best approach was to just start talking, and hope Louie understood what he was trying to say.

"I know…I haven't exactly been the best brother lately, and I'm sorry. It's just…well; it's just that it's real hard to see you like this. Knowing that you ended up in a wheelchair and losing your independence, because you were trying to protect me. I mean, I never thought you cared about me enough to do something like this; not after that night in Atlantic City where you ran me off."

"It was for…your own….good Dan."

"I know that now," Danny said, helping Louie grab a hold of his cup again, "but back then, I had no idea. I was just a kid, and it hurt to have my brother reject me."

"I d…d…didn't meant to r…re…ject you. I wanted you to have something b…better…than that." Louie tried his best to convey his thoughts, despite his mounting frustration at his limited speech abilities.

"I know, and I really feel bad that I haven't been here enough for you since the beating. I haven't come around to say hi and see how you are. I never thanked you from saving me from that life. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is…thank you, Louie. Thanks for saving me from that life, and that murder rap. Thanks for putting your life on the line so that I could have mine. Thank you for being…a better brother than I have ever been," Danny spoke, his voice thick with unshed tears of absolution and regret.

"Don't feel bad. Let's start over…have a new beginning from right now," Louie spoke as he laid his hand on Danny's arm in a silent show of understanding and forgiveness.

Danny smiled at his brother's almost child like belief in a new beginning. It might sound cheesy, but he was willing to do anything to have a relationship with his brother. It would be hard, but Danny was willing to give it a shot and move on from the guilt that had plagued him for months now.

"Okay. As of now, we start fresh, no old wounds or regrets."

Louie nodded.

"Speaking of new beginnings, what do you think of Lindsay?"

The bigger man stopped and thought for a moment, trying to remember the girl in question. Ever since he'd woken up from his coma, he had a hard time, retaining new information. Sometimes though, if he thought about it hard enough, he could recall what he was being asked about. This time was no different.

"She's nice," he finally settled on answering, "and she's pretty too".

Danny laughed in agreement, "She is, isn't she?"

Just then, the door opened revealing Lindsay and Danny's parents talking and generally enjoying each other's company.

Noticing the tired look on her face, Danny quickly got up.

"You ready to go? You look like you need some rest."

"Yeah, I am kind of tired."

With that, the five people all said goodbye to each other, and Danny promised to bring Lindsay by to see Louie again, so they could talk more. With that, the pair went down to their car.

The first few minute of the ride was conducted in relative silence as Lindsay let her mind wander.

"Everyone loved you today," Danny finally spoke, interrupting her thoughts.

"You're family is great Danny. I really liked them all. You're mom is quite the character, isn't she?" Lindsay said with an amused smile at the grimace that overtook him.

"Yeah, sorry if she said or did anything that made you uncomfortable; it's just that she's…well, she's Mom."

"She didn't say anything I haven't ever heard from my Mom. She just wants what's best for you."

"I know. But still, she embarrasses me at times with that."

"I think that's in a mother's job description, "must embarrass son in front of new girlfriend." But seriously, I enjoyed meeting your family today. Thank you for bringing me with you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Danny said and took her hand in his, setting the entwined limbs on his lap, and gently running his thumb over the soft skin of the back of her hand in calming circles.

A moment later, he looked over and Lindsay had fallen asleep. The rest of the drive was conducted with only the sounds of her soft breathing to keep him company.

* * *

Once they got home, Danny lightly raked his fingers though her hair to rouse her.

"Hey, Montana, we're home," he said softly, causing her to groggily look at him.

"Come on, let's get you upstairs. You look beat."

Lindsay just nodded, and climbed out of the car when Danny came around and opened her door. Once inside the building they were greeted again by a working elevator to take them up to her third floor apartment.

_I guess the ravishing can wait until later. Right now, she just needs a pair of comfy pajamas and a soft bed. _

When the elevator car dinged to a stop on their floor, the couple exited, Lindsay still anchored to Danny's side. Lindsay was the first one to notice that something was amiss as they approached her door.

"Danny, look at that," she nodded towards the envelope that lay on her doorstep.

Stooping down to get a closer look, Danny noticed that it was a plain brown envelope with Lindsay's name spelled out in cut out magazine letters that had been affixed to the envelope.

"Stay here," he commanded and quickly unlocked the door, stepping over the envelope so as not to disturb any identifiable evidence it contained. Within a couple moments, he returned donning a pair of latex gloves and a large Ziploc bag in hand. Bending down, he carefully picked up the envelope with one hand and sealed it in the plastic bag for preservation. Looking up, he saw that Lindsay was visibly shaking.

"It's okay Lindsay. Don't worry; it's all going to be okay."

"He knows where I live. He's been here. I…I…I can't…stay….here," she stuttered as the shock of their discovery began to settle in with a suffocating force.

"I know, and you'll stay with me. We're gonna take this to the lab now. I'll call Mac and Stella on the way and let them know what's happened. It's okay Lindsay. I'm here. I won't let anyone hurt you," Danny soothed the best he could, despite his pounding heart and adrenaline running through his veins like a motorist trying to break a land speed record.

Brown eyes, full of fear, sorrow, and a sense of defeat, met blue eyes, full of bravery, resolve and hope.

"Danny, I'm scared," she whispered so softly that Danny was sure he'd imagined her voice sounding so small, broken and vulnerable, saying those words. The tears that began falling from her eyes, as she tucked herself against his side, tightly as possible, is what convinced him he hadn't imagined her words.

"I know. I'll protect you, Lindsay," he said quietly, pressing a kiss into her hair as he led her back to the elevator.


	15. Fall to Pieces

Ch 15 Fall To Pieces

Disclaimer: Same as always. I don't own anything. I just write for fun. I'm not making money off this. Please don't sue me for having fun for free…I really can't afford it. Thanks!

A/N: A special thanks as always, to **SallyJetson **for the beta job!

* * *

_Wanna know who you are  
Wanna know where to start  
I wanna know what this means_

_-Avril Lavigne "Fall To Pieces"_

Pulling into a parking spot at the Crime Lab, Danny looked over at an oddly quiet Lindsay to make sure she was still awake before speaking. During their drive, he had glanced at her several times, as her unnatural silence distressed him. This time, just like the others, she was awake and unmoving. Her posture, rigid and fretful, her face bearing the marks of disconsolate tears, her eyes shadowed, showing she hadn't slept much in the past few weeks, all culminating to send him one very clear message: _I'm scared_.

His hand gently reaching out to touch her arm caused her to jump, jerking herself from her muddled thoughts. Thoughts that had her horrors, past and present, blurring into one singular event. Quickly her head whipped around to look at him; fear, confusion, depression and hopelessness clouding her once fiery brown eyes.

"I'll protect you," he vowed with steadfast resolution.

"What if you can't?"

Feeling it necessary to hug her, but not able to do so properly in the confines of the truck cab, Danny opened the door and motioned for her to follow suit. Once out of the truck, he met her on the passenger side, and pulled her into his arms for an all encompassing hug.

"I'll protect you," he repeated against her ear. "I'll always protect you."

Lindsay nodded into his chest before pulling away, ready to head into the lab, hoping she wouldn't fall apart in front of her co-workers. Not being able to hold it together in front of Danny was bad enough, but if her tough outer shell were to crumble in front of her co-workers….again…she didn't think she could handle it.

Once her back was turned on him, Danny grabbed the paper bag in which he had stowed the envelope so she wouldn't have to see it, then turned back to face her.

"Ready to go?" he asked, grabbing her hand as they walked to the elevator.

The ride in the elevator was also eerily silent. Danny looked over at Lindsay, only to see what he feared he would. She was slowly withdrawing into herself again, shutting out the world. Shutting out _him._ He couldn't let that happen again, but he also knew that he couldn't just yank her out of her protective shell. This was her defense mechanism against the horrors that were too much for her to handle, and to yank her out of it, so abruptly and completely, could have devastating consequences for her mental health, and for their relationship. This had to be done just right. He had to be gentle, but persuasive. Loving, yet strategic, if he was going to coax her into crawling out of that protective shell.

_It's like cajoling a scared kitten out of a storm drain before the flood hits. You have to do this right Messer. Don't expect a miracle here, but you have to do this right. If you screw up, no do-over. _

"It's okay, Lindsay."

"What's okay?"

"It's okay to let people in, let them know you're afraid."

"I can handle it," she said, her stubborn nature still firmly intact.

"I'm sure you can, but I can see you're struggling, Stella can see it; even my Mom could tell that you weren't okay today."

"It's been unusually stressful today."

"Yes…but it's more than that. This is getting to you, and you won't ask for help!" he said, barely able to contain his frustration at her fierce independence.

"Help? You expect me to break down and ask for help here?! Danny, I've worked so hard to get to where I'm at! I survived a brutal quadruple murder, testified in Seth's trial, and still managed to keep it together enough to graduate high school, go to college and get a Masters in Science, I did my job in Bozeman everyday without falling apart and I'm not going to fall apart here!"

"I'm not telling you to have a nervous breakdown, I'm just asking you to let us in and help you. Tell someone what goes on in that head of yours from time to time."

Lindsay, still standing in the corner of the small space, with her arms wrapped tightly around her, looked up from her shoes for the first time since the journey upwards had started, and regarded him with brown eyes, glistening with barely contained tears.

"Don't you get it? If I let someone in, tell them how I feel, what I think about the horrifying nightmares when I close my eyes at night, then I will have a nervous breakdown! I started out in law enforcement being, 'just a woman', and now that I'm away from all that, I don't want to become 'oh poor Lindsay'. I had enough of that after the shooting and I'll be damned if I'm going to give up all that progress by having a complete breakdown!" she asserted, acrimoniously wiping at the tears falling down her cheeks.

Shocked at her outburst, Danny wasn't sure what to say. Sure, he knew about the nightmares. She woke up with a scream at least once a night, a cold sweat covering her body and shaking. She hadn't been eager to elaborate on contents of the dreams, telling him they were dreams she'd had since the shooting. At first he'd tried to get her to talk about them, but she just withdrew from him further, so he backed off while letting her know he was always there for her. That seemed to work, since she eventually started to tell him a bit about her time in the hospital and rehab after the murders, the funerals of her friends that she hadn't been able to attend, and going back to school. He didn't wake up as often to find her missing from the bed, and in the living room instead, stating she couldn't sleep.

Before he could form a verbal response, the elevator dinged on their floor. Before stepping out into the lab, Danny took Lindsay's elbow and spoke.

"When you're ready to talk about…whatever, there's a whole team of people willing to listen."

Lindsay just smiled and nodded.

"I don't deserve for you to understand about all this. You should be angry, not supportive." She spoke quietly.

"I am angry. I'm angry at whoever is doing this to you," he said, raising the bag momentarily, "I'm angry that someone has decided to take away _my _Montana and replace her with a shell of the happy, outgoing, passionate person I know she is. I'm angry that you have to go through all this right now."

Nodding her understanding, Lindsay spoke quietly.

"I'm angry too. And I'm scared. I'm scared that we won't find out who's doing this in time."

"Then let's get this into layout, and hope the processing gives us a lead to go on."

With that, the pair walked silently into the lab where Mac, Stella and Flack where waiting for them.

* * *

Stella, always the mother hen, was the first person to approach the couple as they entered the brightly lit lab. Promptly she wrapped Lindsay in a comforting hug and whispered in her ear.

"Don't worry kiddo. We're gonna get whoever's doing this to you."

When Stella pulled away, Lindsay recognized the look on her face immediately.

_Oh no. Don't look at me like that! I don't need pity! I don't want it! I'm a big girl, I can handle this!_

Instead of voicing them however, she just smiled mechanically and headed over to the table where Mac, Danny and Flack were standing looking at the still closed, envelope.

"Are you going to open it?" she inquired of Mac.

"Montana, I really think it would be better if you weren't…" Danny began, but was quickly cut off.

"Danny, I'm fine! I need to see what's in that envelope! I can handle it!" she snapped, causing the four occupants of the room to look at her in alarm.

"Mac, I need to know what I'm dealing with here. Please let me see what's in it?"

Sending Stella, a 'what do you think' look, and getting a small nod in response, Mac answered.

"Okay, you can stay. But, if anyone here thinks this is too much for you, then you're going to have to leave. Got it?"

Lindsay looked over to Danny only to see that he clearly wasn't happy with Mac's decision to let her stay in the room. Funny thing was, she was pretty sure Mac had agreed against his better judgment to let her stay. Looking back at Mac, she nodded.

"Yes sir," she answered solemnly.

Stella, Flack and Danny chuckled quietly, while Mac cringed at her response.

_She still has a sense of humor. Maybe she is handling this okay, after all. _ Flack thought with an amused grin as he readied himself for the contents of the envelope.

"Lindsay, are you sure you want to be here?"

"Mac, I need to see what's in that envelope. It's the only way I can know what I'm really dealing with here."

Stepping closer to her, Danny nodded his agreement at his boss. Deep down, Mac knew Lindsay was right. The best way to keep her safe was if _everyone_ knew what kind of person was doing this. But just because keeping her in the know was the best bet they had to keep her safe, didn't mean he had to like it. And Mac Taylor did not like this one bit. The only reason he had let Lindsay stay, was because he knew Stella would also argue that it was better if she knew.

Knowing there was nothing more he could say to change anyone's mind, Mac picked up the envelope and began to walk out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Flack queried.

"To steam this sucker open of course. I'll be back in a couple minutes."

* * *

Five minutes later, Mac walked back in with the opened envelope clutched in his gloved hands, as if it were a matter of National security.

"Montana, I still think that you should…"

"Danny, I already told you, I can handle it!!"

Everyone else's objections died on their tongues at Lindsay's reaction to Danny's concern.

"We're just concerned about you kiddo," Stella spoke up gently, hoping to avoid a harsh reaction from her young friend.

"I know Stell, and I'm sorry I'm a bit snappish. I just wish everyone would stop treating me like I'm going to shatter into a million pieces any second now."

Knowing now was not the time to point out that she was beginning to shatter, slowly, every time she had a nightmare or was so sick over this entire situation that she couldn't eat, Danny switched his attention to the matter at hand.

"Alright boss, let's get to work so we can track this bastard down already and lock him away in a 7x10 cell for the rest of his miserable life!"

With that, Mac carefully emptied the envelope contents on the table and put the envelope in an evidence bag to be tested for prints and DNA. On the table lay the three items that the stalker had enclosed. The first being a piece of folded white paper, the second a thick manila envelope that was closed only with a string and washer seal, and the third an index card.

Picking up the letter, Danny laid it unfolded on the layout table for everyone to see. Feeling Lindsay stiffen beside him momentarily, Danny looked over and gave her a reassuring smile.

_Don't worry sweet country girl. I'll protect you. _

Understanding the silent message, Lindsay looked back at the letter, hoping it gave a clue about who was doing this. The letter was constructed of the same magazine cut out letters that had been affixed to the original envelope.

_Lindsay,_

_The time is approaching. Be afraid. Be very afraid. Tick tock. Tick tock._

"Is this ringing a bell with you at all?" Flack asked concerned, the pastiness of her skin making the at-one-time well concealed dark circles under her eyes obviously visible.

Lindsay shook her head as she stood rigid, one arm wrapped around her waist and nibbling on a hang nail on her opposite hand.

"Stop, you're gonna make it bleed," Danny murmured soothingly, gently taking her hand in his.

Placing the note in a separate evidence bag, Mac then turned to the index card and turned it over to reveal three hand written numbers.

"7-3-1," Stella read the numbers out loud, "what the hell does that mean?"

"Without context, it means nothing. But it does give us a handwriting sample for comparison, and with any luck a palm or fingerprint to run in AFIS," Danny replied, renewed determination in his voice.

"What about the other envelope? Maybe that has a better clue," Lindsay spoke at the speed of Adam, a sure sign she was nervous.

"You sure you want to be in here for this?" Mac asked as he carefully opened the envelope tie.

Lindsay nodded and hugged herself tighter, pulling her hand from Danny's.

Carefully, he emptied the contents of the envelope on the table. Upon seeing the articles in front of them, the entire team gasped in shock. The envelope had been stuffed full with a couple rolls of surveillance photos.

Picking them up, Stella began to sift through them one by one. There were pictures of Lindsay going to and from doctors' appointments for her injuries, Lindsay and Danny walking in and out of her building; together and just Danny. There were multiple pictures of both Lindsay and Danny coming and going form the lab, again together, and with others. When Stella picked up the picture of Danny coming from the grocery store, with crosshairs drawn over him, Lindsay began to shake.

"Σαδιστικός γιος μιας σκύλας" Stella muttered in the Greek language she'd learned so well.

"'Scuse me? What did you just say?" Flack asked, not having heard Stella speak in that language before.

"I was just commenting on how sadistic this guy is."

"What's this?" Danny asked as he took the last item from Stella's hand and looked at another folded piece of paper. When he opened it, his heart ceased beating and his blood ran cold.

"An article about the Bozeman High shooting in '94," Mac commented as he looked over the article which contained the names of the dead girls, stopping on the highlighted name: Ashley James. "She was your cousin, right?" Mac questioned, even though the article stated she was the cousin of the unnamed, only survivor.

Lindsay nodded, fighting the tears in her eyes. "She was my cousin. Aunt Jean and Uncle Edward's only child. Aunt Jean never forgave me. She said if it wasn't for me, Ashley would still be alive."

It was then, that Lindsay noticed the writing under the highlighted name.

"It should have been you instead," she read the writing with a shaky voice as her complexion turned whiter…if that was even possible.

"Lindsay, it's time for you to go in the break room and have some tea or something; you're whiter than my lab coat." Mac said firmly, but gently.

Before he even finished his statement, Danny had his arms around Lindsay and was leading her out of the lab.

"I got her, boss. You guys get started with the evidence and fill me in later."

With the sympathetic looks at the couple, the team watched Danny lovingly tend to Lindsay before getting to work.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Danny placed another tender kiss on a sleeping Lindsay's head, before heading back down the hall to the lab with the others. He had intended to stay with her much longer, but she fell asleep almost immediately after downing a bottle of water, and some cajoling by Danny. Despite wanting to stay and just watch her sleep, Danny knew he would be of more use to her if he were working on the case. So, after a few minutes of watching her sleep, he got up and went back to work, praying this new development would give them the break they needed.

"She's asleep," he said before anyone could ask how she was. "Where are we with the evidence?"

"Everything has been swabbed for DNA. We're just waiting for those results, and we're getting ready to test everything else for prints. Glove up and man your station." Mac gave his answer concisely and authoritatively.


	16. Wake Me From This Nightmare

Ch 16 Wake Me from This Nightmare

Disclaimer: Same rules as before apply. I don't own anything so don't sue me. I'm just a poor college student that writes to relax, not make money. I have an office job for that. You guys rock!

A/N: Again, I want to thank **SallyJetson** for taking the time to beta this for me! This chapter was originally written with the last one, but she was able to chop it in two chapters! Thanks chica!

* * *

_Somebody wake me from this nightmare,  
I can't escape this hell._

_-Three Days Grace "Animal I Have Become"_

* * *

Weary and frustrated from processing and reprocessing the evidence from the envelope, Danny welcomed the chance to vent when Flack stepped back into the room, muttering, "Please tell me you have something."

"Dammit. Nothing!" Danny said exasperatedly as yet another picture yielded no usable prints.

"Well, I'm afraid I don't have any news to make things better. James Vackner is still on the run. Lisa Alexander still hasn't checked in with her parole officer."

"What about Rosa?"

"Even Kevin's mother has seemingly vanished into thin air, Stell."

"So we still have three suspects and no leads on where they're at."

"Maybe they're in on it together." Danny proposed the only theory he could think of at the moment.

"Whoa. That's jumping the gun there a bit Danny. We have nothing to suggest that," Mac, ever the critical thinker, pointed out.

"All three of them are missing, Mac. Don't you think that's a bit too convenient to be just a coincidence?" Stella questioned.

"Stranger things have happened, Stella."

"Speaking of strange, I took it upon myself to do a little research." Flack spoke up.

"Research, on what?"

"Not what Mac; who."

"Okay, who were you researching then, and why?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Edward and Jean James. Oh excuse me, make that the ex Mrs. Jean James."

"The ex Mrs. James?" Danny questioned bewildered, Lindsay didn't like to talk about her aunt, but she had never mentioned that she and Edward were divorced.

"Yeah, they got divorced in March of '99. I suppose Ed just had an easier time accepting the fact that his daughter being murdered by a twisted college kid wasn't Lindsay's fault than Jean did." Flack explained, looking at the notes he'd written.

"How does this make a difference in the case?"

"It makes a difference because grief over her daughter's death and anger at Lindsay for the murder has led her to severe bouts of depression, several suicide attempts and becoming an alcoholic."

"So, she might not be thinking rationally," Stella surmised.

"Not to mention, that since the murder she's been estranged from the family, namely her sister…"

"Gayle," Danny finished, knowing who Flack was going to mention.

Stella and Mac just gave Danny questioning looks, designed for him to elaborate.

"Lindsay's Mom and Jean's older sister."

"That still doesn't prove she has anything to do with this. What would set her off after all these years?"

"Ashley's 28th birthday was October 27th, Mac."

"The day of the first phone call," Mac muttered as he started to mentally put the puzzle pieces into place.

"But the stalker has consistently been implying Danny in their threats too. If Jean hasn't seen Lindsay since 1994, how would she know about Danny?" Stella asked, still not sure if Jean was really a factor here.

"Maybe she's been keeping an eye on Lindsay well before October." Flack supplied.

"But we've only been together since the end of October, Flack." Danny pointed out with a very clear unspoken 'duh' in his tone.

"True, but to the outside observer, you two could have looked like a couple for awhile now," he retorted back with a smirk.

Knowing this could turn into a sibling-like argument any second now, Mac quickly spoke up.

"For us to consider Lindsay's Aunt as even a remote possibility here, Flack, you need to find us evidence that she's in New York."

"I'm working on it. But right now, I need coffee. I'll be in the break room if you guys figure anything out." As if reading Danny's thoughts, Flack spoke as he walked out the door, "Don't worry Danno, I won't wake her up!"

* * *

Flack made his way to the break room, seeing that Lindsay was still asleep, and made his way over to the coffee pot. Grabbing a mug out of the cabinet, he poured himself a steaming cup of the black liquid. Granted, break room coffee wasn't his ideal, but it would do the job and it beat station house coffee with no question. Hearing a sound coming from the couch behind him, Don turned around, hoping he hadn't awakened Lindsay.

_Please stay asleep Lindsay. Please stay asleep. Danny's gonna kill me if you wake up now._

Much to his relief, the petite woman was indeed still asleep, though he was reasonably certain she was having a nightmare and would wake up soon.

_The door opened with a bang and an indistinguishable figure stood before her. Try as she might, Lindsay could only make out two things, as Seth walked past her into the cafeteria: the bolt action rifle he carried, and his face. Firing the first shot, he looked back at her, a sadistic grin playing over his evil features as she dropped to the floor and watched momentarily before hiding her face as her screaming friends fell dead with each successive gunshot. _

_The acrid smell of gunpowder was overwhelming. He was standing over her, she knew. Now was her time to die. _

"_Look what you made me do Lindsay," the garbled voice hissed at her._

_Terrified, Lindsay looked over at her friends. Something's different. What changed? Why are they adults? Why do they look like Stella, Mac, Flack and Danny? It can't be. I'm just a kid! I don't know them yet!_

"_Be afraid Lindsay. Be very afraid. Tick tock. Tick tock."_

_Fearful, she looked up to meet her fate as Seth stood over her with the gun. It wasn't Seth. The face morphed into that of James Vackner; and then Kevin…now it was Lisa. _

"_Who are you?! Why did you kill them?!" She screamed, and the killer vanished._

_Crawling over to the closest body, she realizes it's Danny. With horror, she also realizes she's not 15, and not in the cafeteria anymore. She's a 27-yr old woman in the break room of the New York Crime Lab. Danny lying dead in front of her. The others. What about the others? Looking up, she sees Mac, Stella and Flack, very much alive, and looking down at her accusingly. _

"_It's your fault Lindsay. Look what you did! He's dead because of you! You never deserved to be loved by him, and now he's dead! He's dead because he loved you!" the voices tauntingly chorus. _

"No! It's not my fault! I didn't mean it! Danny! I didn't mean it! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Come back! Please, come back!" She wailed, bolting upright, face dripping with sweat and eyes wild with fear.

Shocked, and more than a bit startled by her sudden transition from sleep to consciousness, Flack stood fixed to his spot behind the counter, before his brain sprung him into action. Setting down his mug, he quickly made his way over to where Lindsay was in full blown hysterics.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Take it easy there, Linds. It's okay. Everything is fine," he spoke softly, hoping to gently bring her back to the present.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to get him killed," she mumbled as she slowly regained her bearings.

"Sorry for what? You didn't get anyone killed, Linds. It was just a dream," he reassured.

Realizing that she was at the lab and Flack had seen her at her most vulnerable, she immediately tried to blow him off.

"It was nothing Don. You're right, it was just a dream. I'm okay, really."

Pulling a chair over to the couch, Flack sat and looked at her. He weighed her words, like he would the words of a suspect who was trying to avoid a confession.

"Right. Waking up in hysterics and apologizing for getting someone killed sounds like a bit more than a dream to me Lindsay. Now, we're friends, right?"

"Yeah."

"And when one friend is having a problem or something is bothering them, talking to another friend could help, right?"

"I guess so," she replied, looking at her shaky hands balled in her lap.

"So, as your friend, why don't you tell me what's bothering you?" he requested, sincerity and concern for her shining in his eyes.

"I don't know Don. It's complicated and I don't think you'd understand."

"Try me. If it's too deep and emotional for me, I'll go get Stella for you myself."

She stared at him critically, deciding to give Danny's advice of opening up to one of the many people that cared about her a shot; she sighed and tried to gather her chaotic, racing thoughts to explain.

A couple minutes of silence, and Flack spoke up. "I like to think I can read people pretty well, Lindsay. But I can't read stare, sigh, and silence. You need to give me a starting point here."

"I don't know Flack. It's all so complicated. How do I even talk about something when I don't know where to begin?"

"Well how about you tell me why you think you got someone, I presume Danny, killed?"

"He's being targeted too, because of me. If he'd just leave, he'd be safe, but he insists he'll protect me."

"Lindsay, it's not because of you that he's being targeted. It's because some malevolent person decided to go after two of New York's finest, that this is happening."

"Maybe, but if he didn't feel obligated to protect me, he wouldn't be in this mess," she replied disheartened.

"Danny's not with you out of obligation, Linds. He's with you because he loves you!"

"And with love comes obligation," came the dry retort.

"You want to know just how much Dan loves you," he persisted, undeterred by her remark. "He loves you so much that he would ditch the chance to watch a Giants game with me and a few cold ones, because he wanted to watch 'Batman' with you! Apparently, you needed some educating on why the Batmobile is so cool."

"And your point is," an eyebrow rose quizzically.

"My point, Monroe, is that Danny loves you more than he loves the New York Giants! Danny doesn't love _anything_ more than his Giants; except for maybe his mother. And even that's up for debate."

Lindsay chuckled.

"So, you're saying that when it comes to Danny, I'm in a class by myself, and I shouldn't feel bad about him being with me, even in these circumstances."

"That's most of it, but you forgot to add why you shouldn't feel bad."

"I shouldn't feel bad because he loves me, right?" She questioned, feeling her load lighten after this little talk.

"Ah, I see I've taught you well!"

"Thanks Flack. You really are a good friend."

"Ya know Linds, not so long ago I heard a quote: 'When a friend is in trouble, don't annoy him by asking if there is anything you can do. Think up something appropriate and do it' or something like that, but anyway, I guess doing what you think is appropriate works, huh?"

"Yeah, it does," she agreed. "Now, who said that quote?"

Flack chuckled, "I don't know. I just remember Stella saying it the other day."

"And to think, here I was hoping you really knew your authors!" she teased lightly, "Edgar Watson Howe, said that."

"Good to know" Flack laughed, glad to see a sliver of the Lindsay he knew come out, even if for only a brief time.

* * *

"We got two things off the index card," Stella announced, standing back at the table with the two men, "a partial palm print and epithelials."

"And those would belong to…" Danny asked, hopeful.

"I don't know. We got no hits in CODIS or AFIS."

"What!?" the two men chorused in disbelief. When Mac found the print on the card, they were all hopeful it would lead them to a suspect.

"The epithelials came back female," she supplied what little information they had gained, "so that rules out James Vackner."

"So that leaves us with Lisa Alexander, Rosa Alexander and, Jean James as our strongest leads."

"And Jean is still iffy. Flack hasn't come back with any credible evidence that it could be her," Mac stated gruffly.

"Is Flack still in the break room?"

"I guess so. Maybe Lindsay work up, and he got her to talk to him a little," Stella surmised.

"Let's go find out. Either way, I think it's time for me to collect Lindsay and take her back to my place. She really needs to get some sleep, and going back to her place is out of the question, now that this person knows where she lives."

"What about her things? You know, clothes, other girl stuff? She'll need those."

"Stella, in good conscience, I can't let her go back there to even collect her stuff. I can't let Danny go either," Mac stated flatly, cutting off all argument.

"She has a bag in her locker, so she'll be okay for one night, I'm sure, but maybe for the rest of her stuff she'll let Stella go back and get it."

Eyeing the two critically, Mac laid out his terms for that arrangement. "Fine, but tomorrow, and only if you have another officer to go with you."

"Deal" they said in unison, as the three entered the break room on the tail end of Flack and Lindsay's obviously, pleasant conversation.

_She let someone in, thank god. _

Without preamble, Mac dove right into their findings and new action plan. "We only found one partial palm print on the index card. There were no hits in AFIS, and the epithelials gave us no hits in CODIS. All we know is that the skin cells came from a female donor."

After giving Lindsay and Flack a moment to absorb this information, Stella dove in with the next part. "Lindsay, since you can't stay at your place that means you also can't go back there to get your stuff. But, if you can make do for one night with what you have in your locker, and whatever Danny has, I can get whatever you need tomorrow for you."

"Okay, I've got the essentials in my locker."

"So I'll just get basics for you then? Your clothes, shoes, curling iron, straightening iron, blow dryer and make up. I'm sure Danny can run out later and get nail polish, all that girlie smelling shampoo and body wash, perfume and any other woman products you'll need." Stella finished and gauged Danny for a reaction, when he realized what she meant by "woman products".

As realization dawned on him, a look of unadulterated horror marred his features, and Lindsay chuckled briefly, silently thanking Stella for helping lift her spirits, before speaking.

"Stell, I think you might want to go ahead and just get everything." Then looking at Mac, she asked the question she already knew the answer to. "I'm relegated to the lab and the apartment unless under police escort, aren't I?"

"It's for your own safety," Mac told her, knowing full well that she hated being stuck in the lab for an extended period of time.

"I know, and I'll deal," she mumbled as she yawned.

"You ready to get going?"

Lindsay nodded and stepped next to Danny.

"Alright guys, we're out. We'll see you sometime tomorrow Stella. Night and Happy Thanksgiving," Danny said, gently guiding Lindsay out the door.

"Good night you two, Happy Thanksgiving!" everyone chorused as they watched the exhausted pair walk towards the locker room.


	17. Truth

Ch 17 Truth

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI: NY or the song, "Diary". Those are the property of Jerry Bruckheimer and Alicia Keys, respectively. Read, review and as always, enjoy!

A/N: As always, huge thanks to the lovely **SallyJetson** for beta'ing! All mistakes are mine.

_If I gave you the truth, would it keep you alive?  
Though I'm closer to wrong  
I'm no further from right  
And now I'm convinced on the inside that something's wrong with me  
Convinced on the inside, you're so much more than me, yeah_

_-Seether "Truth"_

They gathered Lindsay's things from her locker in silence. The ride down to the parking garage was silent as well; with Danny only taking Lindsay's petite hand in his and giving it a reassuring squeeze. By now, he'd known her long enough to recognize that she needed to absorb all the information she'd been given upstairs before she would talk about it. Despite that knowledge, when she still hadn't said anything five minutes into the ride, Danny spoke up.

"Lindsay, say something."

_Silence. _

Once they stopped at the next light, he tried again.

"Please, Montana. Say something; anything. Just…please let me in a little bit. What's going through your head right now?" the desperation in his voice, obvious.

When she still didn't speak, Danny ran his hand through his hair, and let out of a sigh of frustration. She had opened up to Flack tonight, at least a bit, and for that, Danny was grateful. But if she refused to open up to him, and soon, he didn't see how they would make this relationship work.

"May 17th 1930, was the first time a cow flew in an airplane. The milk the cow produced on that flight was parachuted down over the city of St. Louis," she finally said in one breath; speaking so fast her words tripped on top of each other.

Her words were soft and hurried but Danny heard them perfectly. He let out a shocked laugh at the randomness of her statement before quickly casting a 'what the hell' look in her direction and then looking back at the road in front of him.

"Well that was…random."

"Sorry. When I get nervous, I tend to…"

"Recite useless facts. I remember," Danny replied with a slight smile, recalling her first day on the job.

Lindsay nodded a show that he was correct.

"What's making you nervous?"

"I'm being stalked and threatened. That tends to be a bit nerve wracking," she answered, dry sarcasm dripping from her words.

"Well, maybe if you talked about it, you might feel a bit better"

"I can't talk about it."

Pulling onto his street, Danny responded, "Can't or won't?"

"I can't! I want to tell you what I dream about, and what my fears are; believe me I do. It's just too hard right now!" she replied, the frustration boiling over into her words.

"So you can't tell me anything, but you can pour your heart out to Flack," he spat out, pulling the truck into a parking spot close to the front door.

"Telling you about this and telling Flack are two different things!"

After grabbing her bag, Lindsay followed Danny into the elevator, and to his 6th floor apartment. Neither spoke as they made their way down the hall, both caught up in their own thoughts.

_Why the hell won't she talk to me? Sure I'm happy that she talked to Flack, but why can't she talk to me too? _

_How do you tell the person you love more than anything that you dream about him getting killed and everyone blaming you? Why am I too much of a coward to tell him? He wants me too tell him, so why can't I? _

Once he opened the door, Danny let Lindsay precede him into his studio apartment. Locking the door behind him, he quickly shed his jacket and shoes before turning back to her, intent on finishing this discussion.

Upon entering his apartment for the first time, Lindsay stopped not far inside the door, dumbstruck. Right in the middle of his living room was a pool table! And in the corner, by kitchen, was a motorcycle!

_Who the hell keeps a pool table and motorcycle in their living room? _

The sound of Danny clearing his throat snapped her out of her thoughts and she turned to face him, setting down her bag and shedding her jacket. She handed it over for Danny to put on a hook by the door.

"You have a pool table in your living room?" she asked in shock and amusement, only half trying to avoid the inevitable discussion where the bottom would drop out from under her.

"Yes, I have a pool table right here, the bedroom and adjoining bath is to your right," Danny spoke picking up her bag and carrying it into the small room as she followed. "Kitchen is right there," he said, pointing to their right as they exited the room that was separated from the main living area by a folding split screen. "And right here is the living room. It's not much, I know, but it's just me, so a few chairs and a couch works fine for furniture," he finished his quick tour of the small space.

"It's nice. I like it," she replied nervously, knowing what was coming next.

"Thanks. It does what I need it to."

"Do you want to get the first shower, or…" she was cut off by Danny's statement.

"Lindsay, we need to talk about this. I need to know what's going on with you."

"Danny…I know you want to help. I want to tell you, believe me I do. It's just…it's just…"

"It's just what Lindsay? It's just that you don't trust me enough to not hurt you if I know; is that it?" he seethed, his voice rising to a near yell.

"No! Yes. I don't know! It's complicated Danny, and I just don't want to lose you because of this…because of me."

"Pushing me away is not the best way to avoid losing me! We were doing okay for a bit; but the past couple weeks Lindsay, it's like you've turned into a different person. Like you don't want to be with me anymore. When all this started you would talk to me about it. You'd have a dream and you'd want my comfort. You said you _needed _to talk about it. What changed?" Danny asked, as he took a seat on one of the brown chairs.

"The dreams changed, and when they changed, I changed," she muttered, refusing to meet his eyes; knowing if she did, that she'd tell him everything and he'd leave her.

_No one wants to deal with all this baggage. I caused this. It's my fault. I don't deserve to be loved. I deserve to be alone and miserable. _

The words played over and over in her head. A mantra, so well rehearsed over twelve years, that she'd come to accept it as truth.

"What about the dreams changed," Danny's tone softened, grateful that she had told him something, giving him a glimpse of what was going on with her. Now, his only hope was that she wouldn't shut down on him again.

"Umm, they got…more…more real," she nervously replied, hoping to answer the question enough to placate him without having to tell him that in the dreams, he was the dead one and it was all her fault.

"More real; how?"

Feeling that familiar sense of pusillanimity tightening inside her gut, Lindsay clammed up. Her gaze quickly flickered from the floor in front of her to the pool table at her side and finally came to rest on Danny.

"I…I…I can't talk about it," she stuttered, her voice choked with tears she refused to shed.

Blowing out a frustrated breath, Danny stood up and spoke, "You can have the first shower."

"I just can't…do this right now. It's too hard to talk about," she choked out, her voice thick with tears.

Danny just nodded his head in response as he headed towards the fridge for a beer.

"Danny, please say something."

"Go get a shower. We'll talk about it later," he tersely replied.

After a moment, he heard her retreating footsteps and barely contained sniffles. He knew he'd been short with her but he couldn't help himself. There's only so much 'I'm sorry' and 'I can't talk about it' that a man can take; and Danny had taken all he could for one day. Sitting down on the couch, he could hear her crying in the other room, and he really did feel bad for doing that to her.

_I'm so sorry Montana. I never wanted to make you cry…ever. Please forgive me._

As bad as he felt for being the cause of her tears, he knew that was the lesser of two evils…at least to him. If he'd said something, like she'd asked him to, he was certain that things would have quickly deteriorated into an argument that had the potential to permanently fracture their already fragile connection to each other.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Lindsay made her way back into the living room, taking a seat in the chair across from Danny. He observed her damp hair, red nose and eyes, the oversized blue sweat shirt adorned with a grizzly bear and the word 'Montana', in large yellow letters on the front, and the black yoga pants. 

"Lindsay…" he began tentatively.

"Shower's free," she barely whispered, keeping her eyes focused on her lap.

He knew there really wasn't a lot he could say right now. All he could do was get his shower and hope he hadn't royally screwed things up by dismissing her so gruffly earlier. As he walked past her, he placed a gentle hand on her arm and watched her briefly. She didn't look back at him.

Once Danny closed the door behind him, Lindsay moved over to the couch. She wrapped her self in the brown throw blanket on the back, and grabbed the remote before settling into the soft cushions.

* * *

Another fifteen minutes later, Danny emerged from the bedroom, dressed in his Yankee sweats, hoping that she'd at least _look _at him now. Seeing her lying on the couch, wrapped in the blanket, he thought for a moment that she'd fallen asleep. 

"Hey" she whispered, still looking at the television.

"Hey, it's getting late. We should get to bed," he replied softly, moving closer to her.

"You good ahead; the movie's almost over. I'll be along in a few minutes," she said glancing up at him, and gesturing to the flat screen which was playing, 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'.

Danny looked down at her in unspoken question.

"Family tradition," she replied before he could ask, "Jason and I would watch this every Thanksgiving before bed."

"So I guess the Johnny Depp version just wouldn't cut it at a time like this?"

"Danny, Johnny Depp is hot, as Jack Sparrow, but as Willie Wonka…he just gives me the creeps!" she replied with an exaggerated shudder to emphasize her point.

"Ah, I see. So as a drunken pirate he's hot, but as an eccentric candy man, he's creepy."

"Go to bed. I'll be along shortly."

"You sure you don't want company for the rest of the movie?"

"I'll be fine Danny. I could use some time to wind down before bed," she gave him a small smile, as if showing him she just wanted to watch the movie.

Danny shrugged. He bent down and gave her a kiss on the top of her wet hair and headed to the bedroom. Hearing him quietly sing the Oompa Loompa song, Lindsay openly laughed at his retreating form.

Turning in the bedroom door, Danny smirked at her. "Don't stay up too late!"

"I won't! Good night."

Danny partially closed the screen behind him, leaving it open a crack, so he could hear her. As he got settled into bed, and turned off the light, the oddly comforting sound of singing Oompa Loompas' quickly lulled him to sleep. The last thought he had was that Lindsay was enjoying one of her favorite movies right in the other room.

_Maybe we can make it through this. I like having her here. I just wish she'd talk to me._

* * *

The clock read 3:33am when Danny's eyes popped open. He realized the other side of the bed, Lindsay's side, was cold and it appeared to have not been slept in. Quickly, he got up and left the room in search of her. 

_Oh god, what if she freaked out and decided to leave me before I left her? I hope she knows that I could never do that to her; not with the hell she's going through. _

His fears of a late night departure were quickly put at ease when he saw Lindsay standing at the window, blanket wrapped snuggly around herself to ward off the chill, and staring down at the relatively quiet street. To avoid startling her, Danny made a sound in the back of his throat as he approached.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you" she said, looking at him briefly before turning her tired eyes back to the window.

"You didn't wake me, per se, I just rolled over and you weren't there. I've gotten used to you being there at night."

"I couldn't sleep."

"You've been awake all this time?"

"Well, I did fall asleep towards the end of the movie. I woke up around three. So I got, like two hours or so," she explained, hoping he wouldn't rush her off to bed when she was finally ready to talk to him about the dreams.

Sensing she had more to say, Danny fought the urge to usher her to bed and stepped to her side, mirroring her position as he waited patiently for her to continue.

"I had another dream."

"You had one tonight and that's what woke you up?"

"Well, yes and no. I had one tonight, but that kind of ties into our argument earlier which really just stems from the dream I had even earlier and my fear of talking about it with you," she explained, appropriately confusing her still half asleep boyfriend. Lindsay chuckled at the befuddled look on his face before continuing. "I had one in the break room earlier. Flack was there when I woke up and sort of tricked me into talking about it."

"He tricked you? How so?"

"He started talking about how much you love me and that you passed up the chance to watch a Giants game with him because you're delusional about the Batmobile being better than Mach 5. He said that means you love me more than you love the Giants and you don't love anything more than your Giants, except maybe your Mom and he doubts that. All that goes together to mean that you love me and will understand so I should open up a bit and tell you what's been bothering me so badly."

After saying all this, in practically one breath, Lindsay stopped to breathe while Danny formulated his answer.

"Okay, first off, I'm not delusional. The Batmobile is awesome. Secondly, he's right. I love you more than some football team. When they blow a chance at the Super Bowl, you're still here, never letting me down. And thirdly, Flack's a smart guy. Whatever it is you dream about. Whatever scares you so bad; you can tell me Lindsay. I may not be perfect or totally get what it is that makes you scared or think the way you do, but I promise to hear you out and try to understand the best I can. We're in this together and I love you. Got that?"

Lindsay nodded and turned to face him before starting to explain.

"Well, I told you earlier my dreams changed; and that's why I changed. What I didn't tell you is that in my dreams now, my friends aren't the dead ones. You are. Earlier I dreamt that you, Flack, Stella and Mac were killed. The killer started out as Seth and I was in high school again, but as the dream went on, the killer changed to James Vackner then Lisa. And then I wasn't in the cafeteria anymore, but at the lab and you were still dead, but Mac, Stella and Flack were alive and they all blamed me for you being dead! They said that you died because you loved me!" She practically wailed at the end and Danny pulled her snugly into his embrace, rubbing her back in soothing strokes until she calmed down.

"Lindsay, I'm not dead and if by some crazy chance I _did_ die, no one would blame you. This isn't your fault. You didn't pick for this to happen to you."

"I know I didn't pick it, but it's happening to me and you, but if you would just leave then it would stop happening to you. I'm no good for you Danny. I'll just get you killed."

"Lindsay, I'm not going anywhere. This is happening to you. I love you and I would risk everything to protect you from this animal. Do you get that?"

"Why would you risk everything for me? I'm broken Danny. I have so much excess baggage with Seth, Kevin, my aunt, the murders and my own insecurities. You deserve better than me. Someone normal without all the baggage, emotional issues and self esteem problems that I have," she finished sadly, just waiting for an agreement from him.

Waiting for an agreement that never came.

"Lindsay, look at me." When her tear stained face met his Danny continued, "I don't want better or normal. I want you! You are better than any other woman I could ever dream of! Yes, you have your baggage and self worth issues, but we can work on all that; together. Linds, you complete me. You're my Montana, and I don't want anyone else."

"Danny, we've never even been on a proper date! Every relationship needs a proper date."

Danny chuckled against her skin, "And a proper date you'll get. I may have to be a bit creative due to current circumstances, but if my Montana wants a date, then you'll get one."

"You mean it?"

"Of course I mean it. Why would I lie? I love you Linds. You deserve to be happy and have every dream you've ever had to come true."

Before she could argue, Danny brushed his lips tenderly over hers; a showing of the everlasting tenderness, love and devotion he felt growing for her with each passing day. Breaking the kiss, he swept her up in his arms and carried her towards the bedroom.

"Now that we've got that cleared up, I think it's time for both of us to get some sleep. With our luck, Stella and Flack will show up with your things at the ass crack of dawn."

Lindsay snickered at his less than polite choice of words as he tossed her on the bed and crawled in next to her pulling the covers around them. It was pretty cold, even for a late November night, and Danny figured they'd be getting snow soon. Pulling Lindsay into his side, he cuddled closer to her, enjoying the soft warmth her body provided.

"So, you really think Flack's a smart guy, huh," Lindsay asked raising her head from where it was resting on his chest, flashing her most innocent smile.

"If you so much as breathe a word of that to him, I swear to God…" he said with a teasing smirk.

"Don't worry Cowboy, your secret is safe with me," she replied sweetly, resting her head on his chest, letting his strong, steady heartbeat lull her into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Once he was sure she was asleep, Danny closed his eyes and was soon whisked off to a dreamland where he and Lindsay could live happily ever after. No stalkers, self-loathing, blame or guilt could touch them in his perfect dream world.


	18. Wake Up Call

Ch 18 Wake Up Call

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI:NY or it's characters. I also don't own Frank Tripp, Horartio Caine or James Vackner. Those belong to CBS and Anthony Zuiker and Jerry Bruckheimer. Don't sue. I have enough bills as it is. Thanks!

A/N: Big thanks to SallyJetson for beta'ing! Another big thanks goes out to you readers! You guys have been so patient and understanding while I was trying to get this up amid the chaos I call life! Thanks!

* * *

"_What do you mean? Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good on this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?" –Gandolf "The Hobbit"_

The loathsome twittering of a phone jerked Danny from the bliss of his Montana filled dreams, and into the harsh reality that it was early. No, scratch that, it was _very_ early and someone had the nerve to be calling him.

_Oh come on Mac!_ His brain screamed as he grabbed the little device and looked at the caller I.D.

In the dimness of the room's dawning light, the brightness of the display caused Danny to squint in an effort to see the name. Seeing that it was, indeed his best friend calling, he answered in a rather disgruntled tone, still harsh from sleep.

_Ass crack of dawn, just as predicted._

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Danny hissed, trying his best to get his irritation across to Flack, without waking Lindsay in the process.

"Well good morning to you too, Danno!"

"Not for me. I was asleep. I don't work today, and when I don't work, I make every effort not to be conscious before noon."

"Oh come on Danny! Didn't your mother ever teach you that the early bird gets the worm?"

Flack was entirely too happy for this time of day. He was never happy this early in the morning.

_He and Stella must have plans that mean he has to fake being a morning person. Either that or he got some last night. _

"She also taught me that, the early bird may get the worm, but the weasel doesn't get sucked into a jet engine." He retorted dryly.

The response was a snort of laughter from the rousing woman next to him.

* * *

_Shit. It's too early for her to be awake._

Staring into the sleepy eyes gazing up at him, from their owner's resting spot on his chest, Danny mouthed the words 'good morning' and pressed a tender kiss into her hair.

"Flack, what time is it?"

"Umm, it's 9:10am."

Danny groaned at the so-early-yet-so-late time.

"You woke Lindsay up too," the circumspect, overly concerned boyfriend in him replied, dismayed that his sweet Montana had only gotten just over four hours of sleep before an unwelcome, though not entirely unexpected, wake up call.

_She needs at least ten hours to begin to make up for the hell induced sleep deficit she's suffering from. _ "

Hey, if it were up to me, you and Linds would still be sleeping. I'm just following orders and telling you guys we're on our way over right now. Don't snap at me because you aren't a morning person."

"Sorry, man. It's just that Montana's been getting less and less sleep lately and last night was pretty rough on her. I was hoping she'd get to sleep in today is all," Danny apologized, before changing the subject. "What's on Stell's to-do list that has you waking us up so early?"

"It's Black Friday," Lindsay mumbled as she readjusted her position.

"It's what?" Danny asked, totally clueless as to what she was talking about.

"The day after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday. It's the official start of the holiday shopping season."

Flack chuckled on the other end of the line.

"I got the same response from Stella when I asked what the hell it was, and why it required getting up so early. Macy's opened at 5 am today and, apparently, has _phenomenal_sales that are just too good to pass up."

Danny snickered at the obvious over dramatization of the word phenomenal in his friend's description.

"She said Linds would understand. And besides, we're on our way right now, so it's not like I woke you up when the rooster crowed."

"Okay, so we can expect you at around 10:30 or so?"

"Yeah, that sounds about right."

"Alright, see you then. Tell Stella she owes us for waking up to allow her to do severe retail damage to her credit cards," Danny replied only half joking.

"I'll let her know. Besides, its really not that early. See ya later, Dan."

"Later," he replied and disconnected the phone.

"Stella's planning to take advantage of Macy's 70 off sale," Lindsay asked before Danny could speak.

"It's really 70 off," Danny mumbled, already half asleep and not particularly caring about the answer.

"Sometimes, they have stuff that's 80 off. She's probably going to buy herself an early Christmas present while the sales are good. I wanted to do that this year, but being under constant surveillance by my stalker, and under house arrest by Mac, doesn't make that look very likely."

"You're not under house arrest Lindsay, we just want to know where you are, and for someone to be with you so it's safe for you to go out."

"Well, it feels like house arrest. I can't even go out on a real date with you, let alone do a little retail therapy for myself, and Christmas shopping for my family. Hell, I can't even see my family this year! I miss them, especially Jason. I don't think I've ever gone more than two weeks without seeing him, and now it's going to be two years soon. This sucks," she finished, pouting like a child, not that Danny could blame her; but it killed him not to be able to fix this for her.

If someone told him that setting his hair on fire would make everything better for her, he'd do it in an instant. Yes, it was official. Danny Messer, self-proclaimed commitment phobic, was totally, hopelessly, and terminally in love with Lindsay Monroe. He'd never hoped for a lack of a cure to an affliction more in his entire life.

"I know this sucks, baby. Believe me, if there was anything I could do to make everything okay for you I would. But until this is all wrapped up, I'm going to do everything I can to make you happy. You deserve some sense of normalcy, despite this. We both do, and I'm gonna try my damndest to give you some sense of normal."

Lindsay looked up at him, tears making chocolate brown eyes sparkle like a gem of spessartite garnet in the soft ambient glow of the early morning sun. Lightly, her lips brushed against his, in a silent vow of adoration and thanks. Once the kiss broke, Danny guided her head back to the crook of his neck, where he began playing with her hair, hoping to get her back to sleep for just a bit longer.

When he could sense her drowsiness, he asked the question he'd been waiting to, knowing she'd just answer it with no frills, explanations or objections.

"What would you have bought yourself?"

"Hmm" was the sleepy, mumbled reply.

"At Macy's; what present would you have bought yourself?"

"Oh, I would have bought…a, uh…I would buy a silver charm bracelet," she was being lulled closer to sleep with each stroke of Danny's fingers, "Why?"

"I was just curious."

"We have to get up for Flack and Stella soon."

"Don't worry about it. Just go back to sleep. I'll wake you up," he whispered, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Mmmkay," was her barely conscious reply; and she was asleep once again.

_Note to self: get Lindsay that bracelet for Christmas._

* * *

Danny was cleaning up the breakfast dishes when Lindsay emerged from the bedroom. 

_Yet another meal she hardly touched, _he thought as he scraped the half eaten waffle into the trash can.

"Baby, you really need to eat more before you end up in the hospital due to malnutrition and exhaustion," he worriedly observed.

"I know," she sighed, defeated, as she sat on the couch and flipped on the television.

"Lindsay," he started, making his way next to her when the news anchor's voice grabbed both their attention.

"_In breaking news, Miami-Dade Police Detective Frank Tripp confirmed the arrest of New York escaped convict, James Vackner. Vackner was convicted last year of murdering 19-yr old Sarah Butler and arrested early this morning after allegedly robbing a night club and shooting three people."_

Lindsay just stared at the television in shock, as Danny gingerly took the remote from her hand and clicked off the box.

"Lindsay, honey," he sat next to her.

Pale face, and haunted eyes filling with abysmal memories, looked right through him.

"Okay, so he's out of the picture now. He's totally and completely out of it. We're that much closer to finding out who's doing this, and bringing them to justice."

"It's Jean. I know it is. Jean's the one doing this to us," she stated in a despondent voice that sent a chill into Danny's bones.

"What makes you say that?"

"After Ashley's funeral, when I was still in the hospital, she came to see me when no one else was there. She told me the only way to make this right was for me to suffer as much as Ashley had; and if it was the last thing she ever did, she would see to it that things were made right."

"Sweetie, why didn't you say anything about that before," Danny asked, with gentle urgency as he swiped the tears from her face.

"Because I was…I guess…I was hoping that it wasn't true. I wanted to believe that she still loves me, and despite her anger wouldn't ever hurt me. I think I was wrong."


	19. The Safety Valve of Tears

Ch 19 The Safety Valve of Tears

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI: NY, or any of its characters, plots, etc. My plots are mine. I also don't own Horatio Caine or CSI: Miami. In addition, Johnny Depp is not mine. Dammit! However, I do own Jean and Jason.

A/N: Thanks toSallyJetson for the beta. I don't know when the next chapter is coming. With finals and the holidays an already extensive writing project is bound to take a bit longer than I would anticipate, so please be patient, and thanks for reading! Enjoy! "

* * *

_Tears are the safety valve of the heart when too much pressure is laid on it."__-Albert Smith_

Before Danny could reply, there was a distinct "cop knock" at the door. Kissing her gently, he got up to let Flack and Stella in and hopefully find out how the hell it was only through the news that he and Lindsay heard about Vackner's apprehension and arrest in Miami.

Without ceremony Flack and Stella stepped inside, immediately noting the heated look on Danny's face.

_Please let he and Lindsay just be having an argument, _Flack thought even as he got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"We got a call about James Vackner. It seems…" Flack started right in, before being cut off by Danny.

"He was arrested in Miami this morning after robbing a night club and shooting three people. We know, we heard it on the news, and now," he gestured to a visibly distraught Lindsay, "any progress we made after she opened up to me last night has been totally fucked up because the people that are supposed to be protecting her and keeping the _victim,_ of an ongoing crime, abreast of any developments in her case dropped the ball and let the news tell us, along with the rest of the city," he yelled, incensed that Lindsay was now suffering more than she had to.

"Okay, wait a minute. Mac just called me an hour ago about this, and he assured me that Lieutenant Caine would make sure this wasn't released to the press before we had a chance to talk to you guys about it," Flack defended against Danny's wrath.

"Well someone didn't do their job, and I have the upset girlfriend to prove it! And in case you haven't noticed, Lindsay being upset for_any_reason isn't an option for me!"

"Please, just stop yelling," the half-sob, half-plea stopped all talking and drew everyone's attention to the couch.

"Oh Lindsay," Stella gasped at seeing her distraught friend curled into the corner of the couch. Immediately, she sat down the two large duffle bags she was holding and took a seat next to Lindsay, pulling her friend into a sisterly hug; offering as much comfort as she could.

"Believe it or not Lindsay, this is a good thing," Flack attempted to reassure, "now we can conclusively rule him out as a suspect."

"Of course it's not him Flack! It's Jean! I know it's her!"

"Kiddo, we have speculative evidence, at best, that Jean has anything to do with this," Stella pointed out, not willing to believe someone so close to Lindsay could be doing this to her.

"It's her. I know it is. She said she'd do this to me. Danny, tell them," Lindsay spoke, her voice merely a defeated whisper.

The cerulean blue of his eyes displayed his mixed emotions. On one hand, he desperately wanted to do as she requested, but on the other, he knew she had to be the one to say it.

"Honey, I wish I could tell them for you; believe me, I do. But, you need to say it. They need to hear it from you," he spoke with the regret of not being able to do this one thing for her, as he stooped down to meet her eyes.

Looking at the table in front of her, Lindsay began her story. "When I was in the hospital, on the day of Ashley's funeral, Jean came to visit me. She said that if things were ever going to be right again, then I needed to suffer as much as Ashley did. She said that if it was all she ever did, she would make sure that happened. That was the last time I ever saw her," she finished her story, looking at the other two Detectives to see what she feared most.

"You don't believe me."

"No, Lindsay, it's not that we don't believe you. But, are you sure this actually happened and wasn't just some narcotic induced dream? I mean, you'd just been shot three times, seen your friends die, and had major surgery. You had to have been on some pretty heavy drugs," Stella tried to rationalize. After all, there was no way someone would say that to a teen that had come so close to the brink of death. Was there?

Realizing that, other than Danny, no one seemed to believe her; Lindsay began to cry as she leaned into his chest, "You know what? Just forget it. I knew no one would believe me. That's why I never said anything to anyone. Maybe it's just better if we let her get to me. At least then, it will all be over and everyone can go back to their lives before I came in with my screwed up past."

Pulling her to a standing position, Danny crooned lovingly in her ear, and wrapped her in his warm embrace until she began to calm down. "Why don't you go get a nice hot shower and relax a bit? Give me a chance to talk to these two alone, huh," he suggested all the while leading her to the bedroom carrying her bags.

Before closing the privacy screen, she leaned in and kissed him. "Thank you," she whispered softly and then disappeared behind the screen, allowing Danny to talk to Flack and Stella alone.

* * *

Keeping quiet for a few moments, Danny listened for the familiar sound of the shower starting. Then, he knew, he could say what he needed to without fear of her overhearing him and being upset. 

"How in the hell can you two not believe her," he yelled at the two detectives as soon as he heard the shower turn on. He was reasonably certain she would stay in there until she had cried herself out and used up all the hot water.

"Danny, listen…" Flack began but was again cut off by his seething friend.

"In case you two haven't noticed, Lindsay is going through hell right now! She doesn't eat. She doesn't sleep. Everyday I see her crawl further into herself, away from the world, and closer to the psychological hell that she's worked so damn hard to get out of for 12 years! It's like she's walking on a high wire in a strong wind. The wire is her sanity, and one little nudge is all it would take to send her plummeting into the abyss of insanity! Being told that she must have been hallucinating about Jean in the hospital is just one more nudge towards insanity! She already doubts that she deserves to be happy and loved. She doubts that she can be a good girlfriend; a good life partner that I am proud to love and call mine. And now she's had the seed planted to doubt her own mind!!"

Don and Stella just looked at each other as Danny continued to rage. Neither one had considered that Lindsay was that bad off. Even Flack, who knew she was struggling, was shocked to hear what things were like from Danny's point of view. Even though she had always been good at masking her emotions, they had figured that with Danny's support Lindsay was faring pretty well under the circumstances.

After taking a moment to gather his thoughts and confirm that the shower still running, Danny continued, "and now, here is another obstacle for her to deal with! More sleepless nights and uneaten meals. I know you guys are just trying to be logical here and follow the evidence, but she's the best evidence we've got! We can't just ignore that her aunt has a history of mental instability and a huge dose of resentment towards Lindsay for surviving! We can't ignore that she's made it no secret among Lindsay's family that she blames Lindsay for this! A history of behavior is evidence, circumstantial at most, but its evidence! It needs to be followed up on! And to follow up on it, we need the cooperation and trust of the victim here!"

Stella took his momentary pause to speak up, "Danny, she's been nothing but cooperative and she does trust us! We work with Lindsay everyday and she's never shown that she doesn't trust us; not that we have given her a reason not to trust us."

"You just sat right next to her, and told her that she was probably just hallucinating from the medication she was on! You didn't even give an indication that you thought what she's saying might be true! How is she supposed to trust the people, investigating her stalking, to cover all the angles when they don't believe her," he paused so that his next words would really sink in, "I know I wouldn't."

_Is that how she took what I said? Could she have possibly taken it to mean that I don't believe her? It's not that I don't believe her; it's just that I don't believe that a mother is capable of saying such a horrible thing to a teen that survived walking through the pits of hell._

Watching Stella, and knowing she was thinking, Don decided to speak his piece. "It's not that I don't believe her Danny, because I do believe her," the tall detective began, getting two matching looks of intrigue. "Look, I've been a cop long enough that I've seen and heard the strangest things. I've heard strange things that are just vile, sadistic, and make me question if there is any good in humanity anymore, I've learned that those strange things are facts most of the time. We have no proof Jean is in New York. We have no proof she's not. Hell, we don't even have any proof that she's alive or dead!"

"What are you getting at, Flack?"

"What I'm getting at Messer is that until we can prove or disprove Jean's involvement, then we need to treat Lindsay's story for what it is: a lead that could put an end to this case. And to do that, we need her to trust us and not alienate herself from the team, the department, you, her family, and anyone else that could be a help to the case, or as an anchor to Lindsay's sanity."

"So, how do we do that?" Stella asked, hopeful that she could explain to Lindsay why she reacted the way she did, and improve her emotional state in anyway possible.

"We need to find some way to give her normal experiences while she's going through all this. Right now, her life is stagnating. This morning, she told me she feels like a prisoner in all this. She's depressed because she can't do anything. She feels like she's under house arrest. She hasn't seen her brother in over 18 months and that's depressing for her. Jason called her yesterday at dinner, and you should have seen her face when she was talking to him, she just lit up like a Christmas tree, she was so happy! Last night, she watched Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory because she and Jason used to do that every Thanksgiving as kids. She told me today, that this is the longest they've ever gone without seeing each other," Danny explained a bit about his and Lindsay's daybreak conversation.

"Okay, so how does that help us to help her," Flack thought aloud.

"Why doesn't she call her brother and ask him to visit?" Stella tossed out an idea.

"Because she's too stubborn to admit she needs a little piece of home right now. I'll call him and see if he can come out for Christmas maybe. But I would need your help. I want this to be a surprise for her, like part of her Christmas present, so you couldn't let on to her that you know he's coming. Also, this place is pretty small," Danny looked around to emphasize his point, "So I would need help with arrangements for him to stay somewhere. I want him to be close by so they can spend as much time as possible together."

"I'll look into hotel deals; see if we can get some kind of discount for the lodging and flight," Stella's brain went immediately into surprise planning mode.

"I'll be using my reward points on my credit card to pay for his flight, so all you need to worry about is a hotel, Stell. And make sure you don't stick him in the Roach Motel. This is the first time I'll be meeting the guy, it's essential I make a good first impression."

"What," Danny snapped at a chuckling Flack, who was by the pool table.

"Oh it's nothing. Really, I just never thought I'd see the day when Danny Messer wanted to impress a girl's brother," he replied, the amusement in his voice as strong as a gale force wind.

Hearing the shower turn off, Danny decided to ignore Flack's comment and finish what he needed to say before Lindsay emerged.

"Speaking of impressing people, Montana and I have been together for an entire month, yet we haven't had a proper date."

"And you want to impress her and take her out on the town," Stella surmised.

"Well, I want to impress her, but I don't think it would be wise to take her out and wine and dine her in the conventional manner," Danny took in the befuddled look on Flack's face and clarified his statement, "I don't want our first date to be tainted by pictures of it being sent to her in another creepy package. I want it to be unforgettable for her, and not in the nightmarish sort of way."

"Okay, so what did you have in mind?"

"I want to do something here at the apartment. Make her dinner, complete with candles, flowers, wine and music. But I want to surprise her, so I can't have her here while I'm setting things up. This is where I need your help Stell."

"So, you need me to get her out of the apartment for the day," she stated, knowing that was the game plan.

"Exactly, I need you to find something to do that will keep her occupied for a few hours."

"You could take her shopping," Flack offered, "she wouldn't find that suspicious and it would keep you both busy."

"I don't know about that. What if the stalker sees us? That could leave a bad stain over this day. You know, I think I have a better idea. I have a friend that owns a beauty salon. She owes me a favor. Maybe I can convince her to come over to my place, and I could set Lindsay up for a day of pampering. You know, manicure, pedicure, facial, maybe even get her hair styled."

"Now that's creative! She's been really stressed lately, some pampering would do her good," Danny agreed to the plan.

"Well wait a minute. What are you going to use as your reasoning for this? You know Linds; curiosity is her middle name. She's bound to ask why you're doing all that for her," Flack pointed out the inevitable.

"I know she'll ask about it. It's in her nature to ask a lot of questions, that's just Lindsay. But, like Danny said, she's been under a lot of stress lately and some pampering could be just the thing she needs to relax a bit. When she asks, I'll just tell her I figured she could use the distraction."

Hearing the bathroom door open, Danny dropped his voice to a whisper and finalized the plan. "Okay, so why don't you come pick her up at noon. I'll get everything ready and you can have her back here at 6 o'clock."

"Okay, that sounds like a plan. After we leave here, I'll swing back by her place again and pick up one of her dressier outfits to wear back. I'll tell her since she's gotten all dolled up and pampered, why not go the whole nine yards and knock your socks off?"

Danny just nodded in agreement as Lindsay emerged from the bedroom. He looked to see her standing there, damp hair pulled back into a messy ponytail and dressed in a pair of well worn jeans and his favorite New York Giants sweat shirt. To him, she looked like an angel.

_Damn. I'll never be able to wear that shirt again. It looks much better on her than it ever has on me. _

"Feel better," he smiled as she walked over and took her seat on the couch, next to Stella.

"Yeah, a long hot shower was just what I needed."

"Damn, Monroe. Did you get caught up in a sweatshirt avalanche or something, because that thing buries you," Flack chuckled, gesturing to the fact that Danny's sweat shirt was at least two sizes too big on her, and her delicate hands got lost in the sleeves.

"It's comfortable Flack, like wearing a blanket almost," was her only response as she smiled at him.

"Well, it does look comfortable," Stella began, as she figured out what she wanted to say to her young friend about earlier. "Look, Lindsay, I'm sorry about how I reacted earlier. It's not that I don't believe you; it's just that even after so many years on the force, I still like to believe that there is good in people. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I believe what you say about Jean but I just can't wrap my mind around how she could say that to a teenager that had just come so close to the brink of death. I'm sorry, and I hope you can forgive my lapse in judgment."

Lindsay smiled and pulled Stella into a hug. "I forgive you. I know it's hard to believe. I still can't wrap my mind around it sometimes. I guess she's just that bitter."

"Since we have no idea where she's at, we can't discount her as a suspect, Lindsay. Until we can account for her, we're adding her to our possible suspect pool," Flack spoke matter-of-factly.

"We really need to get going if we're going to get anything done today; but Lindsay, I wanted to take you out tomorrow afternoon. You know, just a girl's day out," Stella proposed as she stood and headed towards the door, where Flack was waiting to help with her coat.

"Where are we going," Lindsay's curiosity piqued, and Danny chuckled at her predictable response.

"That's a surprise. You just be ready to go at noon tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay! I'm looking forward to it," she replied, looking at Danny to see if he thought it was a good idea as well.

"Okay, well we will talk to you guys tomorrow. I'm gonna drop by the lab, and let Mac know about the leak in Miami so he can put a plug in it," Flack told them as he pulled the door open and ushered Stella out ahead of him.

Danny and Lindsay said goodbye as the door closed behind their friends. Danny checked to make sure it was securely locked before getting situated on the couch so that he was stretched along the length, Lindsay's body pressed flush with his, and her head resting on his chest.

"Let's watch a movie," he suggested as he clicked on the television, and 'Pirates of the Caribbean', came on the screen.

Danny chuckled when Lindsay emphatically nodded her head in agreement to the movie of choice. He pulled the blanket off the back of the couch to cover them both as he tucked the blanket around her small frame and kissed the top of her head, before contenting himself with watching her watch the movie.

_It doesn't get any better than this, _he thought as he turned his attention to the television to try and understand what in the world Lindsay saw in Captain Jack Sparrow.


	20. The Reason Is You

Ch 20 The Reason Is You

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI:NY or any of the shows cast or plots therein. If I did, the whole world would know about it. That being said, any similarities between this story and any plots in the show is merely coincidental, or added in for clarity. I also don't own Hoobastank or the song, "The Reason".

A/N: A zillion apologies for the lateness of this update! Life and computer problems got in my way and I had to put writing on the back burner for a bit. My muse seeming to have gone off to join the strike didn't help either.

A/N 2: As always, a huge thanks to **SallyJetson **for the beta! You rock chica!

"_I've found a reason to show,_

_A side of me you didn't know,_

_A reason for all that I do,_

_And the reason is you."_

_-Hoobastank "The Reason"_

"Danny," she gasped, his mouth licking and sucking its way from her jaw down to her collar bone where he nipped lightly. "Danny, we really need to stop," she protested feebly.

"Why," he mumbled against her ever heating skin, before nipping and sucking at the pulse point under her jaw.

Unable to form a coherent sentence, she just pointed at the clock, whose numbers glowed 11:35 am.

"So?"

"Stella will be here soon."

"So," he playfully asked again.

This morning, they had reached the point where they couldn't seem to keep their hands off each other for very long. Danny had been polite and honored her wishes to not get ravaged in the shower; so he had contented himself, well sort of, with taking stock of what he'd need to pick up for his surprise dinner tonight. Somehow, between putting the grocery list on top of the fridge where Lindsay wouldn't find it, and hearing her getting dressed in the other room, Danny had found himself unable to leave her alone again. And this led to their current situation. Lindsay's hair and make up completely undone and her shirt, along with Danny's, having been flung somewhere in the room, and she and Danny tangled up in each other among the sheets of the still unmade bed.

"So," Lindsay pulled him from his thoughts "she might be early."

"Well, we should hurry then," a predatory gleam in his eye.

"Actually, a 'wham, bam, thank you ma'am' wasn't what I had in mind for our first time together," she replied, knowing that he didn't want that either, "when I get back, we can do things right, okay?"

_Unless another creepy package shows up like last time_

Instead of voicing that thought, Danny smiled and looked at the bright side. She was right. When she came back tonight, the mood would be set for a night of romance.

"Okay, that's a good point. But there's one more thing before I behave. It doesn't involve hickeys, I promise," Danny said, putting on his most sincere expression.

"What is it," she asked skeptically, not buying the innocent act for a second; but more than happy to play along.

_Maybe Stella will run a little late for once_

"This," he said before rolling her under him once more and swallowing her surprised squeal.

Exactly twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang jarring Danny and Lindsay out of their own little world.

"Dammit," Danny muttered, as he rolled off Lindsay, looking around for their shirts and trying to calm his racing heart all at once. Finding Lindsay's blue sweater, he tossed it to her as the doorbell rang again.

"Told you she might be early," she teased lightly as Danny found a shirt and quickly pulled it on before heading to the door.

"Just a minute," he hollered, doing up the last few buttons before opening the door to greet Stella. "You would be early today, wouldn't you?"

"Hello to you too, and I'm only five minutes early," she replied, stepping into the living room just as Lindsay came out from the bedroom and quickly closed the privacy screen behind her.

"Hey Stel! You're early!"

Taking stock of their respective appearances; Danny with his mussed up hair and rumpled shirt, and Lindsay also with mussed up hair and rumpled shirt, coupled with her lack of any make up and the fact that her face was still a bit flushed, the older detective put two and two together.

"Did I interrupt something?"

Looking at each other, Lindsay quickly ducked her head as her face flushed crimson,while Danny coughed and rubbed the back of his neck to cover up his embarrassment.

"I'm just gonna go and..." Lindsay stammered, mortification, at being caught in the act by her supervisor, setting in, "yeah. I'll be back in ten minutes," and with that, she quickly disappeared behind the privacy screen.

Another moment of embarrassment filled silence hovered in the air as Danny desperately tried to think of something neutral to say, and Stella found it hard not to be amused at the young couple's reaction to her arrival.

"I guess we just got a bit...sidetracked and forgot the time," Danny tried to make conversation.

"It's okay, really. No need to be embarrassed. I've been in love before too," she gave an easy out.

_Bless you, Stella._

"I'm sure you have. I hear you and Don are quite taken with each other," the conversation switched easily.

"We've only been dating about as long as you and Lindsay, but yeah, we really do have a connection."

"I'm glad to hear it Stel. You both deserve to be happy," Danny spoke with sincerity.

"Thanks, Dan. And what about you? Does she make you happy?"

"Yeah, she really does. You know, I never really thought that someone like her could go for a guy like me, and it honestly kind of scares me a bit, Stel. I've never felt like this before. Before Lindsay, the only other woman I've said I love you to, has been my mother," Danny paused and looked in the direction in which the object of his affection had disappeared, "but I genuinely do love her and would do anything to keep her safe and happy. I'd die for her Stel, I swear I would."

"Have you told her all this?"

"Sort of."

"Sort of?"

"Yeah. I don't think she'd be too happy with me mentioning dying for her right now. She still thinks this is her fault in some way. Like if something happens to me, it would be her responsibility or something," Danny explained, "but I do everything I can to show her I love her and want to be with her; that I don't feel obligated to be with her just because she's in danger."

"Ah, that's a good point. I'm sure she realizes that you really do love her, and wanting her to be safe and happy, as well as doing whatever you can to make that happen is just part of loving someone."

Danny pondered this for a moment before speaking, "I know that somewhere in that head of hers she knows that something is up today. She's asked me what I have planned several times, and clearly doesn't believe me when I say nothing much just hanging around the house. I just wish she would also realize that being stalked isn't her fault and that she didn't deserve to have Kevin or any of those other guys treat her like crap."

"Give her time Danny. Treat her the way you know she deserves to be treated and just stick by her. In time, and with lots of help, she'll realize that what happened wasn't her fault. She'll realize that not all guys are like Kevin," Stella wisely told him. After all, she, Stella Bonasera, was speaking form experience.

"Thanks Stel, I really needed to hear that. It's just hard, ya know? She wakes up crying at night and still has nightmares. Most the time, she'll talk to me about them and how she's feeling, but still she does clam up every so often and it hurts. It hurts me to see her in so much pain and to know that there isn't anything I can do to fix it. All I want to do is make her happy, and the one thing that would make her happiest, I can't fucking do for her!"

"Danny, as much as I know you want to make this better for Lindsay and catch the creep doing this to her already, it's not working out that way. We're all still working on it, and we want whoever this is off the streets as soon as possible too. It'll happen, trust me."

"I do trust you. I trust the whole team to do whatever they can to protect Lindsay. I just feel so helpless not being able to make her feel better."

"Really? Because it seems like to me, that tonight you're going to do something that's going to make her very happy," Stella pointed out.

"Well, the date and me getting Jason to come visit is bound to make her feel better, it's not the same as having my Montana back to the way she was."

"It's a start though."

"Yeah, I guess it is, isn't it?"

"Speaking of the date and getting Jason to come visit, do you have everything planned?" her innate curiosity took over as the rush of excitement, that only comes with knowing you know something that someone else doesn't, bubbled up inside her.

"Well, I have the menu planned out. I'm making Penne Vodka, Tossed Salad and, Raspberry Truffles for dessert," Danny listed the menu, proud of himself for making sure Lindsay's favorite chocolate treat was on the menu.

"That all sounds delicious! And what about Jason? When are you going to call him?"

"Um, you know what? I think I'll do that when I get back from the store," Danny told her, hoping she wouldn't discern the fact that he was scared as hell to talk to Lindsay's brother.

"I'm sure Jason's a really nice guy. Lindsay says he's the best big brother a girl could ask for; always looking out for her," she reassured, relaying what she'd learned from Lindsay.

"If you mean by 'always looking out for her' is greeting guys with a shotgun, then I guess he is a great big brother; doesn't mean that I'm not nervous about possibly meeting the business end of a 12-gauge."

"You are too cute, you know that," she asked with a chuckle.

"Since when is not wanting to get shot for touching someone's sister, cute?!"

"You really do love her! If you didn't, you wouldn't be so nervous about such a big step. That's what's cute."

Danny just scowled as he heard Lindsay getting ready to leave the other room.

Hearing the same thing, Stella spoke quickly and quietly, hoping to put Danny at ease. "Look, I bet Lindsay's already told him what a great guy you are. And think about it; who's the better judge of what kind of person you are, her or Jason? Just be honest with him, make sure he knows you have Lindsay's best interest at heart, and wouldn't ever let anything happen to her. Okay?"

"Okay, I think I can do all that," Danny said, falling silent and smiling as his girlfriend emerged from the bedroom, makeup lightly done and hair curled softly around her shoulders.

"You ready, kiddo," Stella asked, excited to show Lindsay what she had planned, and hoped that it would make up for her reaction the previous day.

"All set," Lindsay grabbed her black pea coat off the rack by the door. "So, did you two talk about all the plans Dan doesn't have today?" she asked, a smirk playing on her lips at the gut feeling that he was planning something and Stella taking her out was just a way to keep her busy while Danny did whatever it was he had planned.

"I have nothing planned today Montana; honest! Stella and I just figured you could use a girl's day out!"

"Of course," she said dryly as she clipped her phone onto her belt, and tossed her keys into her purse. "Messer, you're a terrible liar," she finished, leaning up on tiptoes to kiss him.

Stella had to bite back a chuckle as Danny feigned sincerity that seemed to amuse Lindsay more than convince her of his telling the truth. She had a great bullshit meter that was for sure. That was one of the things that made her such a great CSI, Stella mused.

"We better get going before Danny invokes his right to remain silent," Stella allowed herself to join in on her friends' amusement, momentarily.

Smiling, Lindsay reached up to his lips for one final kiss that appeared chaste, but there was something very sensual about it still.

_Hell, all her kisses turn me on. _

"Danny," she whispered stepping back from his personal space, "are you sure you don't want to tell me what you have planned?" she asked sweetly.

Struck silent, Danny tried to look everywhere but at her face, knowing she had that expression that just screamed, 'look at this face and tell me no'. The expression that would make him promise her the world if she asked him to.

"Alright Dan, we're gonna get going now before traffic gets too bad," Stella stepped in and saved what little will power he had, where Lindsay was concerned, from crumbling.

Following Stella out the door, Lindsay turned back to Danny one final time, "Have fun doing nothing today," she laughed when he mock glared at her.

"You have fun and try to relax today. I love you."

"'Kay. Love you too," and with that, she shut the door leaving Danny to breathe a sigh of relief.

_She's just too smart for her own damn good sometimes. _


End file.
